Recipe Round-Up 5/20/09

At my dear Mom's request, I'll list the cookie recipe first! :)



Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie
( from Blissfully Domestic)

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. mixed chocolate chips (she lists milk and semi-sweet...I used white and semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream butter and sugars together until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix completely, and then add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to 10 inch cast iron skillet and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 35-45 minutes. Don't overbake. Serve warm with ice cream.

Now we need something a bit healthier...

Broccoli and Bell Pepper Salad

(Mountain Man thinks this is a perfect summer salad.)

2 heads broccoli (about 2 lbs.)

salt and pepper

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 T. red wine vinegar

1/3 c. olive oil

2 bell peppers, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

**Cut florets from broccoli and trim into 1 inch pieces. Trim stems, peel and cut into 1 inch pieces. Boil broccoli in salted water for about 3 to 4 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander under cold running water. Pat broccoli dry with paper towels. Combine mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together until salt is dissolved and then slowly add oil, whisking constantly until blended and thickened. Just before serving, add broccoli and peppers to bowl with vinaigrette. Toss until vegetables are thoroughly coated with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate to serve cold. (from All You magazine)

Now a sweet and simple breakfast treat...

Easy Cinnamon Bites

3 packages of refrigerator biscuits

cinnamon and sugar, mixed together

1/4 c. butter

powdered sugar glaze (1 c. powdered sugar, 2 T. half and half or milk)

***Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Cut each biscuit into 3 pieces. Coat with butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze while warm. (I baked at a lower temp. for a bit longer,and I used 1/2 c. butter) (recipe from reluctant entertainer.com)

Enjoy!

Recipe Round-Up 3/10/09

When Scribe wrote our first family newsletter, he included a column called "Recipe Round-Up." So, that's what we'll call these posts when we share several new recipes that we love. This past week, we managed to try out three new ones, and they were all well-liked.

This first one was actually inspired by Caity and Marissa. When they came over as mother's helpers, they generously left me a bag of shell macaroni. When I was making tacos one evening, I was searching for something different to make with the meal for our not-so-picky-eaters. I found a great recipe on Allrecipes called "Taco Bake" which used shell macaroni. I've changed the recipe so much that we'll call it "A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That Taco Bake." :) (no connection, of course, to our Little Bit..) Scribe and Mountain Man especially enjoyed this, and now we have even more variety for our Mexican dinner nights.

1 lb. taco meat

8 oz. pkg. of shell macaroni, cooked and drained

1 small onion, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can of tomato sauce

1-1/2 c. frozen corn

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces), undrained

1 can black beans

1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies

2 c. shredded Mexican cheese, divided

Mix all ingredients, except for 1/2 c. of the cheese, together and pour into a greased 2-1/2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

***

The next two recipes came from a series of cookbooks that are as beautiful as they are full of great recipes. The first adds some variety to our baked potato nights when we make a meal of potatoes and salad. Here's Mountain Man's official review of "Garden Stuffed Potatoes"...

"Oh my!" "MMMM....Man!" Need I say more?

4 russet potatoes

2 T. butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 c. chopped cooked broccoli

1/2 c. ranch salad dressing

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bake potatoes. Slice off potato tops, scoop out pulp, keeping skins intact. Mash pulp in medium bowl. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat, add onion, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, broccoli, salad dressing, and cheese to the potato pulp. Mix well. Spoon into shells and season with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through. (I bake our potatoes for an hour at 450....the author suggests piercing the potatoes, spraying them with vegetable oil spray, and microwaving for 15 minutes. Then, bake in oven at 425 degrees for an additional 15 minutes.)

~from Goodness Gracious by Roxie Kelley and Shelly Reeves Smith

This next recipe satisfies the sweet tooth. I made a version of this "no bake" cookie before, and it was terribly dry and crumbly, but this recipe was great. (If they don't harden enough to your liking, you can try refrigerating them for a bit.) Mountain Man, who isn't a chocolate fan, even enjoyed these since they have oatmeal, and there was a rumor circulating in the Poff home that Scribe was stashing some away....

"No Bake Cookies"

2 c. sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. margarine (I used butter)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 c. peanut butter

3 c. rolled oats

Mix sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and cool for one minute. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper, allowing to cool completely before removing.

~ from Just a Matter of Thyme by Roxie Kelley and Shelly Reeves Smith

***all of Ms. Kelley's cookbooks can be found at Amazon.com