best snickerdoodles

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cream together butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes.

8 minutes was perfect in my oven. It's important not to cook them too long, otherwise they'll turn hard. Mine were super soft; I also made my dough balls really big and they turned out fabulous.

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

(From allrecipes.com)
This is excellent.  I've had it with chicken, but I've also made it using a pork loin.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.
1-12 oz bottle barbeque sauce (my favorites are Sweet Baby Ray's and KC Masterpiece)
1/2 c. italian salad dressing (I used half a pack of the dry italian dressing mix)
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 t. Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker.  Mix barbecue sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low.  Shred and serve on buns.

Tomatillo-Sauced Enchiladas with Spinach and Mushrooms

From Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

I guess I'm getting desperate for some decent Mexican because it's hard to come by in Southeastern Alabama.  This is the first recipe I tried out of my new cookbook.  Let me just say that the verde sauce (although it made way too much and I'll half it next time) was delicious.  Patrick and I both agreed that the mushrooms were too strong and we'll do without them in the future.


3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 serreno chiles, seeds removed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
3/4 c. cilantro
10-12 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
8 oz. mushrooms (We didn't like this addition)
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced (I used a yellow one)
2-3 c. spinach
1 c. shredded cooked chicken
salt
12 corn tortillas
2 T. Mexican crema (we used sour cream)
1 t. sugar (optional)
Crumbled Mexican queso fresco (Couldn't find this so we used whatever shredded variety was in the fridge)

Using a food processor, combine garlic, chiles, tomatillos and cilantro.  Process until smooth.  Add a bit of oil to a sauce pan and heat green sauce stirring constantly, until it has reached the consistency of thick tomato sauce (about 7 min).  Rick says: "The more you heat the base, the richer and sweeter the sauce will be." Add chicken broth and simmer over medium heat for about 10 min. to blend the flavors.  Stir in the sour cream and taste to season with salt.  If the sauce is tart, add sugar (mine was).

Meanwhile, heat mushrooms and spinach in a bit of oil until both are limp.  Then add onions and cook until translucent. Add shredded chicken. (I do think this mixture was a bit dry.  It would benefit from a little sauce added in just before making enchiladas.)
Dip corn tortillas in green sauce and heat them on a skillet until they are soft and pliable.  Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture, roll (leave seam facing down).  Just before serving, cover with a liberal amount of green sauce and top with queso fresco.

Santa Fe Chicken Tostadas

Corn Tortillas
2-4 chicken breasts (I used 2 and we had left-overs)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup chunky salsa (I used the homemade variety, but any type works)
1/2 can corn, drained
(note:  all spices are optional and my addition to the recipe)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander (optional)
1/2-1 t. red or chili pepper powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4-1/2 lime juiced

Garnish:
Romaine, guacomole, sour cream, cheese

Boil chicken and shred.  Place in frying pan with a bit of olive oil.  Stir in beans, corn, spices and salsa.  Bring to boil and remove from heat.  Broil the corn tortillas until hard (you will have to flip them over).  Serve chicken atop tortillas with garnishes of your desiring.

Pound Cake

If you're not sure what a pound cake is, think strawberry shortcake but soooo much better.  Sara Lee actually does a decent frozen pound cake, but it pales in comparison to this one.  In terms of cooking, it can either be separated into two bread pans (I usually freeze one, uncooked), or one bundt pan.  It is delicious eaten warm with strawberries and whipped cream.

Note:  eggs, butter, and cream cheese all need to be at room temp, so leave them on the counter for a bit.

Pound Cake
1 pkg. cream cheese
1-1/2 c. butter (yes, 3 whole cubes)
6 eggs
3 C. sugar
3 C. flour
2 t. vanilla

Cream together butter and cream cheese, beat in eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 min or until a knife comes out of the center clean.

chinese chicken salad, please!

dressing:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon hot chile paste
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
*dressing is pretty thick, I add a little juice from the mandarin oranges to thin it.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
16 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers, shredded
4 cups romaine lettuce - torn, washed and dried
shredded carrots
1 bunch green onions, chopped

*I hardly ever use green onions or the wonton wrappers, but I almost always add corn and mandarin oranges

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, chili paste, ginger, vinegar and sesame oil.
Grill or broil chicken until cooked, slice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large shallow pan and arrange shredded wontons in a single layer. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, wontons, lettuce, carrots and green onions. Toss with dressing and serve.

My Favorite Kitchen Tools

Admittedly, I love to cook.  This fact has necessitated better cooking tools, and let me just say, it makes ALL the difference.  Invest.  You won't know how you lived without them.
  (My apologies on the formatting of this.  New Blogger is not very cooperative).

The Garlic Press

Mine is from The Pampered Chef.  Note:  If you put it through the dishwasher, don't run the dry cycle because it is hard on the finish.  I use garlic in almost everything and it's so cheap if you buy it in the produce section.  Plus, you CAN'T beat the flavor of fresh garlic.  So much better than the powder.

Meat Mallet

I got mine at T.J. Maxx for under $5.  Make sure you get a metal one, the plastic ones just don't suffice.  I pound out all my chicken breasts, yes every one, and here is why. They are just too darn thick!  If you pound them out they are more tender, it seems like you have more meat, and it cooks more quickly.  Using a meat mallet is essential if you are grilling.  There's nothing worse than eating a big thick piece of chicken. As an aside: no, I don't know this fellow but I couldn't pass up using this swell picture.

 A couple of good knives:
I have one from The Pampered Chef and two made by Wusthof.  They were an investment but so worth it.  They make cutting so much easier.

Amazing Chex Mix

My friend Mandy makes this and we request it for every gathering.  It is soooooo good.  Kind of reminds me of cereal treat with a twist.  Not a low calorie food, but great for a party.

1 box of golden grahams


1 box chex cereal

3 cups of shredded coconut

2 cups of cashews (I think it would be delicious with almonds)

mix together in a large bowl

2 1/2 cups of sugar

2 1/4 cups of karo syrup

3 cubes of butter

boil together for 4 min

remove from heat and add

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

pour over chex mixture and mix until coated. place ingredients spread out on wax paper to cool.

warning it makes a ton!

Taco Soup

This is my twist on the traditional taco soup. It's a fabulous meal because it's so easy. Also note that it utilizes all of your food storage (you can omit the hamburger and add another can of beans-- protein a plenty). My friend adds a packet of dry ranch dressing mix, never tried it but you can't go wrong with ranch dressing.

Taco Soup

1/2-1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cans kidney beans (or 1 can kidney, 1 can black beans), undrained
2 cans corn undrained
2 cans tomato sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes (I use tomatoes I bottled a few summers back)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1-2 t. chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lime
1 T brown sugar (to cut acidity)

Brown ground beef, add onions and garlic, then add kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, lime (juiced), brown sugar and chili powder. Stir well. Simmer until heated through. Serve topped with garnishes of your choice. (I like cilantro, guacomole, and fritos. Patrick likes sour cream and cheese.)

Nicole Martin's Dinner Rolls

Marybeth and I are working on perfecting this recipe. Nicole says to touch the dough as little as possible. She rolls them out and cuts them with a circle cutter, be careful not to roll too thin or your rolls will be like frisbies. Also note that they take quite a while to rise.

I used this recipe for cinnamon rolls and it's probably the best one I've tried.

Dinner Rolls (30 – 36 count)

2 c. warm water
½ c. sugar
1 egg
~ ¼ c. dry milk
1 Tbsp yeast
1 cube margarine, melted
1 ½ tsp. salt
~ 6 c. flour


I put all but the flour in a bosch. Add ½ the flour, mix in. Add the rest of the flour. Dough should be sticky but not too soft. (If you’re in a hurry, err on the sticky side.) Knead the dough until it looks elastic.

Let dough rise until double (at least an hour). The more you let the dough rise, the lighter your rolls will be. From that point on, handle the dough carefully. I gently roll the dough on a floured board and use a cup to cut out the rolls. Put the rolls on a large cookie sheet; wait again to rise (at least an hour) until doubled.

Bake at 385˚ for 13 – 15 minutes.

Swedish Creme

(From Nicole Martin)

2 c cream
1 c sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, (dissolved in
¼ c cold water)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2 c sour cream
1 c fresh or frozen raspberries w/2 tsp sugar



In sauce pan, combine cream and sugar.
Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until steam rises. (The recipe also says until candy thermometer reads 160˚, but I don’t worry about that.) DON’T BOIL.
Stir in gelatin until fully dissolved and every calorie and gram of fat have evaporated.
Remove from heat and add extracts.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Whisk in sour cream.
Pour into 8 dessert dishes and chill for at least 1 hour (more) or until set.
Before serving, top with raspberries.
Enjoy!

*At the wedding reception, this was also served with chocolate shavings sprinkled on top w/ the raspberries.

Meatloaf

I've never cared for meatloaf, until I tried this recipe of my Mother-in-law's. Now I find it delicious.

Meatloaf

2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
3 slices bread, torn into pieces
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. grated carrot
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1 t basil or thyme
¼ t. pepper
1-1/2 lbs ground beef

Topping:
½ c. tomato sauce
½ c. brown sugar
1 t. prepared mustard
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and bread; let stand a few minutes or until the bread absorbs the liquid. Stir in the onion, carrot, cheese, herbs and seasonings. Add beef’ mix well. In a shallow baking pan, shape beef mixture into loaf (I usually separate into two loaves and freeze one). Bake at 350 for 45 min. Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients. Spoon some topping over meatloaf. Bake until no pink remains, occasionally spooning topping over loaf. Let stand 10 min. before

Favorite Pizza Sauce

Admittedly, I am a canned pizza sauce kind of girl. Well I was out and came upon this recipe (allrecipes.com). I found it oh so delicious and will never use store-bought sauce again. I do think some stewed or pureed tomatoes would be a nice addition.

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Water-- add to dilute sauce to desired thickness
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Water to thin sauce-- 1/2-1 cup

Mix together the tomato paste and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.

Chicken Tacos

From all recipes with modifications. Can be served in tortillas, a top a salad, or any way you like.
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast meat - cubed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Cereal Treat

Cereal Treat ala Grandma Westerberg

4 C. Cheerios
4 C. Special K
4 C. Rice Chex
4 C. Kix

2 C. sugar
1 C. butter
¾ C. Karo
Dash of salt
1 C. cream or half & half
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cereals together in a large bowl. Bring butter, sugar, karo, and salt to a boil. (out lid on to dissolve sugar) Add cream and cook to soft ball stage. Add vanilla and our over cereal.