12 Days of Christmas cookies: Day 10 - Soft Gingersnaps

I love the smell gingerbread baking in the oven during the holidays. It fills your house up with such a yummy smell! Some people are a huge fan of gingerbread cookies and some haven't acquired the taste for them yet. And if you just happen to be someone who hasn't, then you should try this cookie instead. It's a mild version of the gingerbread cookie.

These soft Gingersnap cookies were so delightful in taste, smell and looks. And the recipe was very easy to make too. I had a batch mixed up, baked and decorated within 30 minutes. The recipe was also originally called Dipped Gingersnaps. The dipped part being that you dip half of the cookie in melted white chocolate. But after a previous tasting of these cookies, I decided that I wanted to be able to taste more of the ginger/molasses flavor then the white chocolate. So with that thought, I decided that drizzling the chocolate lightly on top would achieve that flavor. The overall results of this cookie was amazing! Easy, soft and gingery! Perfect for anytime of the year.

Soft Gingersnaps

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teas. baking soda
1/2 tbls. ground ginger
1 teas. ground cinnamon
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil; mix well. Add egg. Stir in molasses. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 1/4 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookie springs back when touched lightly. Remove to cool on wire racks. Melt chips in a sandwich sized ziploc bag and place inside small microwave safe bowl, unzipped. Microwave in 30 second increments until chips are melted. Squeezing the bag after each 30 seconds to stir chips. Close bag off and snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over cookies and decorate with desired sprinkles. Let chocolate set before serving. Makes 24 cookies.

NOTE: This recipe doubles really well. And will result in a 4 dozen batch.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 9 - Frosted Sugar Cookies

I absolutely looooove frosted sugar cookies! I can honestly say they're my favorite cookie of all time. In fact, I love frosted sugar cookies so much that I perfected my own recipe one year. Then the following year I decided to try out my recipe at our local county fair. Well, let's just say it received the prized blue ribbon... I was so excited! So yes, people, my frosted sugar cookie recipe won a blue ribbon at the county fair. What a huge accomplishment.

Unfortunately, for you all...I won't be giving you the recipe today or ever actually! I've never given out the recipe to anyone. So don't take it personal! I decided to do this because someday I might want to open up my own bakery and would love to have this as one of my signature cookies. But, what I WILL be posting is another recipe that I've really enjoyed using when I'm in a hurry because there's no refrigeration involved like most recipes do...including my own!

This recipe was brought home earlier in the year by my oldest daughter from a Young Women's activity. I need to give credit where credit is due, so thank you Marcy for this recipe. And no one says you have to use this recipe, obviously if you have a recipe that you love to use then by all means use it. Just get yourself and your kids in the kitchen baking with you...they'll love it!

Frosted Sugar Cookies

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teas. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 teas. baking soda
1 teas. salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

In a large mixing bowl; cream shortening and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and gradually add to butter mixture. Finally, add sour cream and mix until thoroughly combined. Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut using your choice of cookie cutters. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely before frosting and decorating. Makes approx. 4-5 dozen cookies depending on size of cookie.

Buttercream frosting

1 lb. powdered sugar (approx. 4+ cups)
1/4 cup milk
1 teas. vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
Food coloring of choice
Sprinkles
Candies

Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes, scraping bowl often. For thinner consistency add milk a little at a time. Or for a thicker frosting add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Add food coloring at this time.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 8 - Peanut Blossom Cookies

I'm not sure what the exact name of these cookies are. There's so many variations to name that I've seen, but as for me I will be calling them Peanut Blossom Cookies.

This recipe is definately a crowd-pleaser and I'm pretty sure many of you have tried the recipe before.  But my kids really wanted me to make these. Who can resist peanut and butter and Hershey's chocolate kisses? YUM! I love that there's just enough heat that comes from the freshly baked cookie that it melts the chocolate kiss just perfectly...makes a irrestible chocolate frosting.

I used the Peanut Cookie mix from my favorite Betty Crocker cookie mixes. And made it according to their recipe from their website http://www.bettycrocker.com/ .

Peanut Blossom Cookies

1 pkg. Betty Crocker Peanut Butter cookie mix

3 tbls. vegetable oil

1 tbls. water

1 egg

1 pkg. Hershey's chocolate kisses

(Optional: 3 tbls. peanut butter - I added this, doesn't hurt the recipe if you do!)

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl; combine cookie mix, oil, water and egg. (Add in extra peanut butter.) Mix until dough comes together. Shape dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 8 -10 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove cookies from oven and immdiately press one Hershey kiss into each cookie. Let cookies completely cool about 20 minutes before eating. Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies.

NOTE: If you would like a recipe made from scratch. Check out the recipe located on the Hersheys.com website. Click HERE to find it!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 7 - The Essential Chewy Oatmeal Cookie

Since today got the best of me, and never had time to make the cookies I was hoping to get around to. I still wanted to post a cookie recipe for you.

I hope that you'll enjoy these oatmeal cookies as much as I have over the past year. The recipe itself calls for a lot of ingredients and although I don't completely understand as to why they're included in the recipe, you must add each one. The cookie is so yummy with every single ingredient in it! You can read more information on this recipe by clicking on the link below.

Here's the recipe:

The Essential Chewy Oatmeal Cookie

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 6 - Homemade Oreo Cookies

The ever so popular Oreo cookie has now been created in a homemade version. How wonderful is that? How many yummy food items can you think of that has this wonderful, little sandwich cookie in it? I love an Oreo Blizzard from DQ! What about Cookies 'n Cream ice cream? Oreo cheesecake? Oreo bits on top of frozen yogurt? Or how many times have we eaten a pie that has crushed oreos made into the crust? This cookie is apparently a very versatile cookie. And loved by many!!!

Well now you can make your own homemade Oreo cookies using this recipe I got from my very good friend, Brooke. I love Brooke...she always knows how to tempt my tastebuds. Look out for a future recipe of her's called "Addiction". It's the most yummiest snack ever and definately addicting!! It just so happens that her homemade Oreo cookies are addicting as well.

Did you read my previous post about the recipe for Chocolate Rolo Cookies where I stated there would be alternate version of that cookie? Well, this is it! You will need to go HERE for the original recipe (minus the Rolos) and then add the Oreo cream recipe in between 2 of the cookies.

Oreo Cream filling

1/2 lb. powdered sugar (about 2 cups)
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cube butter
1/2 teas. vanilla extract

Beat until fluffy. Frost between 2 cooled cookies (I put frosting in zip lock bag and cut a small hole on one corner to frost...like a disposable pastry bag...works great!) Then refrigerate until cream sets up. Devour cookies with a large glass of cold milk...YUM!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 5 - Eggnog Cookies

Are you an Eggnog fan? Do you like to have this unusual drink during the holidays? I myself love at least one cup of eggnog every Christmas. Although when I have it, I must add extra milk to it. I think it's a texture thing for me.

When I was searching for my next cookie to make. I came across this recipe for Eggnog Cookies? What? Really? I had never heard of such a recipe before. So from then on I was intrigued! I knew I had to make them. And I must say that I was completely surprised by it's results. It isn't a heavy flavored recipe, but it has a nice, mild eggnog flavor to it. The frosting on top is what makes the whole cookie. Don't be afraid of the eggnog this year, give these cookies a try...you'll be equally amazed as I was. And please note, that when making this recipe, the dough will appear a little on the sticky side. This is normal and will still bake properly. If you decide you want more of the eggnog flavor then feel free to add more eggnog to the dough, but remember the more liquid you add, the more flour you'll need to add also. The temperature of the oven and the baking time are both correct.

Eggnog Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teas. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 300 F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, add flour, baking powder and nutmeg and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl cream together sugar and butter until light. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until thoroughly mixed. Do not overmix.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet 1-inch apart. Bake for 20-23 minutes until bottoms turn light brown. Cookie will appear to have a soft, pillowy texture to it. Let cookie cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Drizzle completely cooled cookies with icing and sprinkle a dash of nutmeg on top. Makes approx. 24-30 cookies depending on size.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tbls. eggnog egg

1/4 teas. ground nutmeg

Extra ground nutmeg for sprinkling

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir until smooth. Drizzle icing on tops of cookies, and add a dash of ground nutmeg on top.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 4 - Jam Thumbprints

Today's recipe was inspired by the recipe located on the back of a package of Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookie mix....I love me some Betty Crocker cookie mixes! They're the best! They're so versatile and taste so close to homemade. The best part about them is that they're so quick! So the next time you're at the store, grab yourself some of these cookies mixes, you won't regret it!

Now on with the recipe... With these jam thumbprints, I used a strawberry jam and a peach orange mango spread that I found from Costco. But you can use any flavor of jam that you prefer. And make sure you use a "jam" and not a "jelly". Jellies are made from the juice of the fruit and not the pulp or meat of the fruit. So the consistency is a lot more runnier and the cookies will have a wet, messier look to them.

Jam Thumbprints

1 pkg. of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix

1 stick of butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

4 tbls. all-purpose flour

Any flavor of jam

1 cup of white chocolate chips

Colored sugar sprinkles, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl; add cookie mix, butter, egg and flour. Thoroughly combine ingredients and roll dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch sized round balls. Set on baking sheet and press your thumb into the center of each ball and make indentation. Spoon about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the center and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cookies cool.

Meanwhile, add white chocolate chips to small bowl and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until chips are melted. Drizzle chocolate onto cooled cookies and let chocolate cool and set up before eating. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 3 - Peppermint Pinwheels

First off, let me just say, I was so excited to try out these cookies since I love me anything peppermint. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed in this recipe. I guess that's what I get for using a recipe that was in a holiday recipe book that I purchased about 10+ years ago. My first clue that it wasn't going to be all that good, was that the recipe didn't even have a spec of peppermint in it. WHAT? No peppermint? I believe it's called "Peppermint Pinwheels", right? Anyways, the recipe actually called for almond extract. OK, whatever...I thought maybe they knew something that I didn't. So I went with it, I made the recipe as instructed. The recipe itself wasn't so bad as far as the consistency and ease of the recipe. But it wasn't until the end that I realized the only peppermint I was going to find in this recipe was the crushed candy canes I put on top of the glaze. (Sad!)

So with this post today, I am including a recipe that was not the original recipe I used, but another one that I found from one of my favorite websites, Allrecipes.com (which is where I should have gone to in the first place). Just be forewarned that I have never tried this recipe that I'm giving you below, but I after looking at I believe it's a great substitute. Could it be that it actually has peppermint extract in it??? Please let me know if you try this recipe out, I would love to hear about it's results.

Peppermint Pinwheels
adapted from: Allrecipes.com

3/4 cup butter, softened (no margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teas. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. peppermint extract
1/2 teas. red food coloring

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half; add peppermint extract and red food coloring to one portion.

On a work surface, roll out each portion of dough between wax paper into 16" x 10" rectangle. Remove one side of waxed paper. Place red rectangle over plain rectangle; roll up tightly jellyroll style, starting with a long side. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or until firm.

Unwrap the dough and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets or lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F degrees for 12-14 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

NOTE: If you want more of a peppermint flavor or even a more decorated, fancier cookie. Try adding the glaze recipe from the original recipe I used and top with some crushed candy canes.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbls. corn syrup

3 1/2 teas. warm water

5 or 6 peppermint candy canes, finely crushed

Combine in a small bowl and spread over cooled cookies. And top with crushed candy canes.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 2 - Chocolate Rolo Cookies

The best part of this cookie recipe is that you can make two different cookies using the same chocolate dough recipe. The first recipe is Day 2's recipe for Chocolate Rolo cookies and the second recipe will follow soon ...stay tuned!

This recipe was definately a very rich, sweet and chocolatey cookie. I myself could only handle eating 2 at the most. And another benefit to this cookie was that it was very easy to make and was again perfect for kids to help with. The recipe calls for rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar, but I wondered how the cookie would look if they were rolled in powdered sugar instead. I think it would look very similar to a chocolate crackle cookie. If any of you decide to try it, please comment and let me know how they turn out. I would love to hear about the results.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix (must use this brand-no substitutes!)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 pkgs. of Rolo caramel candies
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In a large mixer bowl combine; cake mix, oil, eggs and flour. Mix well until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Take teaspoonfuls of dough and roll into a ball, place 1 Rolo candy in the center and make sure that the dough completely covers the Rolo. Place some granulated sugar in a small bowl and roll cookie ball into the sugar to completely cover. Place cookie ball onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and the let the cookies cool completely before eating. Makes approx. 2-3 dozen cookies depending on size of the cookie ball.

NOTE: these cookies are by far better the second day. They firm up, yet the caramel in the Rolo is still soft. YUM!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 1 - Snowball Cookies

Ok, so it's been officially a year since I've updated this blog. I wish I had been better at making sure it was current. Adding this recipe is giving me the "warmies" though and makes me want to be more consistent. Wish me luck!

I decided this year that I wanted to do something different with my kids around Christmas time. I get 4 or 5 recipes a day through my email where different sites do a countdown to Christmas using cookie recipes. So I thought this would be the perfect thing that I could do with them that would get them involved and get them baking with me. I hope to be able to keep this a holiday tradition from now on.

This recipe was really simple and was perfect to have your kids help you with. One can chop the pecans, one can add the ingredients and a few can roll the dough into balls. Make sure to do two coatings of the powdered sugar as stated in the recipe.

Snowball Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teas. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. In a large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until well mixed. (Dough will look crumbly, but will pull together once the dough is rolled into balls.)

Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place one inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes until very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes and roll in powdered sugar while still somewhat warm and again when completely cool. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

(recipe from Land o'Lakes Favorite Holiday Cookies book)

Julie's Irresistible Pecan Pie

Not a pecan pie fan? Well maybe you need to reconsider. This recipe has been a work in progress over the years and last year it finally became perfected. So I'm proud to say that I've had people tell me that they've hated pecan pie until they've had mine. I hope that you will try to make this pie and give pecan pie a whirl...it's my most favorite pie ever!

Julie's Irresistible Pecan Pie

Crust:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
½ cup butter, chilled
4 tablespoons ice water (OR a prepared store bought 9” pie shell)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and white sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually sprinkle the water over the dry mixture, stirring until dough starts to come together. Then, using one hand, squeeze dough together until it forms a nice ball. Remove to countertop and shape into a 5” flat disc. Remember not to handle the dough too much or you will start melting the butter. Cover dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Just until pie mixture is made.

Pie:
3 eggs
1 cup corn syrup
1 ½ tablespoons molasses
¾ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pinch salt
1 ½ - 2 cups pecans, chopped

In another medium bowl, combine first 6 ingredients, add pecans and thoroughly combine. Set aside.

Remove pie crust and lightly flour countertop surface, roll crust dough out into a large circle, place into ungreased pie plate. Remove extra dough and crimp using two fingers and thumb. Re-stir pie mixture and pour into pie plate. Place pie into a preheated 350 F degree oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Be careful and watch crust so that it doesn’t burn. Place strips of tin foil around edges if crust starts to get too dark. Let pie cool completely before serving.

Corn chip Chili Casserole

This recipe really threw me off when I first checked it out. I was confused by the instructions and wondered why you just couldn't put the chips on top of your bowl of chili??? Well, let me just say, I was surprised by the results. There was something about the chips being baked in with the meat, beans and cheese. It almost had an enchilada taste to it. It was pleasantly delicious!

I also ended up halving the recipe because we wouldn't eat a 9x13 baking dish size for our family. I baked it in a 9x9 baking dish instead.

Corn chip Chili Casserole

3 (15 oz.) cans of assorted beans: kidney, pinto, black, etc...

2 (10 oz.) cans red enchilada sauce

2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1 (9 3/4 oz.) bag of Fritos corn chips

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium sized onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Sour Cream for topping

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

In a skillet over medium high heat, add ground beef, diced onion, minced garlic and brown until meat is cooked and onion is tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized mixing bowl, add beans, enchilada sauce and chili powder, stir to thoroughly combine. Add drained meat mixture to the beans and stir again to combine. In a 9 x 13" baking dish, place half of the meat & bean mixture on bottom. Next, layer with corn chips, cheese and repeat one more layer ending with the cheese. Bake in preheat oven for 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and chips are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve warm with a topping of sour cream, if desired.

Note:

To half the recipe use: 2 cans beans, 1 can enchilado sauce, 1 lb. ground beef, 2 cups cheese, 1 tbls. chili powder, 1/2 of an onion, 1 garlic clove and 2/3 bag of corn chips. Regular corn chips, broken up, could also be used in place of Fritos corn chips.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Our local grocery store has been making these pumpkin bread bowls and selling them in their bakery department. I couldn't pass them up and knew I had to find a yummy cream-type soup to put inside them. Last month, we had a potluck dinner at work and one of my co-workers, Nina, made a delicious, creamy soup with cheese and vegetables. It was so good, we all asked for the recipe. I knew this was the soup for these cute pumpkin bread bowls. This recipe can easily be made in the crockpot once the veggies are cooked. It also makes a lot, but the recipe can be cut in half too.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

5 cups water
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 large potatoes, cubed into 1/2" squares
2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
3 chicken boullion cubes

Boil above ingredients in a large pot for 8-10 minutes.

Add:
2 (16 oz.) pkgs. frozen broccoli, cauliflower & carrot mix, thawed and cut into smaller pieces

Boil for 5 minutes more

Stir in:
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup, undiluted
2 cans creamed corn
1 lb. pkg. Velveeta Cheese, cut into 1" cubes

Keep stirring until melted. If soup is too thin, add some instant potato flakes to thicken. If the soup is too thick, add a can of chicken broth. If using a crockpot, set on Low and warm for 2-3 hours.

Edward's Blood Muffins

In honor of Halloween and for those of you who are waaaayyy into the "Twilight" series. This part was cut from the original version of the book. I understand that Edward did a lot of cooking for Bella and these were the muffins he made for her one crisp, Fall morning. Unfortunately, he could not eat them, and in his envious, heated state of mind, mistakenly dripped his vampire venom all over them which gave her some extra added vitamins to jump start her day.

Edward's Blood Muffins

Open one box of this muffin mix, mix and bake according to package directions. Serve warm. Hopefully, in the right circumstances, your muffins will mistakenly have vampire venom dripped all over them too.
Note: I, and my blog, take no responsibility if a real vampire shows up at your door and desires your neck instead of these muffins. Please take extra care when baking and have some garlic and a crucifix handy. By the way, this was just for fun...go with it!

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

A recipe from my latest crockpot cookbook purchase.

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

1 pkg. (6 oz.) chicken-flavored stuffing mix
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup

Combine stuffing mix (and seasoning packet) with 1 cup water unil just moistened in large bowl. Set aside.

Mix chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion in another large bowl. Stir in soup. Transfer half of the chicken-vegetable mixture to 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Spoon half of the reserved stuffing on top. Repeat layers.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

Changes and Updates

I have been cooking and baking away and have added some more recipes just recently. And my label list on my sidebar has been added. So that should help you search for recipes more easily.

By the way, I just recently found a really yummy crockpot recipe book in the grocery store. I can't wait to try some of the recipes and share them with you. There's just something about Fall that makes crockpot recipes so warm and inviting. Again, stay tuned!!! Until then...MAKE THAT KITCHEN SMELL GOOD! mmm....

White Bean and Chicken Soup

As the weather turns to Fall, soups begin to show up as dinner in our house. This one is a first for us. And it turns out, it was very delicious! Even my kids ate it! In this recipe I used a garlic chicken sausage, but you can easily use diced chicken instead. I also really liked the simplicity of this soup. Ready in about 30 minutes. You may also cook this longer if you want the flavors to mesh more thoroughly and enhance the chicken broth. I served this with crackers and we, the parental figures, added a dollop of sour cream and grated Pepperjack Cheese. Mmmm...

White Bean and Chicken Soup

3 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbls. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 (4 oz.) cans whole green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teas. ground cumin
1 1/2 teas. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teas. red pepper flakes, crushed
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. black pepper

Place olive oil, chopped onions, garlic and cubed chicken into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is longer pink. Transfer mixture to a stock pot or large soup pot. Add in green chilies, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook until the smell of the spices have been released, about 1 minute. Add in chicken broth, then white beans, stir thoroughly. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10-15 on medium high to combine all of the flavors. Turn off heat and serve warm.

Swedish Pancakes

I absolutely love Swedish Pancakes! With my mother being Swedish, we grew up on these as kids and I've made sure that I pass the tradition onto my kids as well. I have fond memories of family get-togethers where my aunts and uncles would make LARGE batches of batter and spend at least an hour or more taking turns at the stove pouring the batter, waiting for it to cook, flipping it and then serving it. Only to have it disappear within seconds. These thin, delicate pancakes resemble the French pancake called a Crepe. The recipe differs slightly from country to country.

We eat our Swedish pancakes with a variety of toppings depending on our preference that day. My favorite is the classic way of eating them, with lingonberries. I stock up on jars of lingonberry preserves from Ikea when we head up North. My kids like it with just plain maple syrup, but we've been known to have sliced bananas, a triple berry mix and top it off with Cool Whip or chocolate syrup. Anything would be yummy...applesauce with a dash of cinnamon and maple syrup is good also. Go ahead and play with your choice of toppings. But make these pancakes sometime, they're worth the time and effort.

Swedish Pancakes

4 eggs
3 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teas. salt
3 tbls. sugar
3 tbls. butter, melted

In a blender, add eggs and milk. Blend until combined. In a small bowl sift in dry ingredients. With the blender on low, add in dry ingredients a couple spoonfuls at a time until thoroughly combined. Add in melted butter and mix until all ingredients make a smooth, thin batter.

Using a small frying pan or a Swedish style flat pan, lightly grease the pan with some butter on a paper towel. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan, and quickly swirl the batter around to cover the bottom of the surface. After about 1-2 minutes, the edges should loosen with spatula. Lift and flip over and cook the other side of pancake for another 1-2 minutes and remove. Cooked pancakes can be stored in a 200 F degree oven until ready to eat.

Spread desired toppings down the middle of pancake, and with one end of the pancake roll up into a tube-like shape. Serve warm or cold depending on toppings. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Please don't be confused with the shape of this bread. It's not a cake! I was desperate or should I say I had a bad craving for some banana bread one day and decided that I would bake it in a 9 x 9" baking dish instead of a loaf pan. By doing that, it cut my baking time down by 20 minutes. So hence the shape!

We've been making this banana bread for almost 10-12 years. It's become our family's favorite! The recipe comes from an old Pillsbury cookbook I got shortly after my hubby and I got married. Our oldest daughter has made this several times on her own so the ease of it makes it the perfect recipe for kids to help with. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
(Note: I often add more than one cup, up to 1/2 cup more, it doesn't bother the recipe one bit.)
1/3 cup milk
1 teas. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease bottom of a 9 x 5" loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs; blend in bananas, milk and vanilla. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and nuts, if desired and mix well. Add to creamed mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove. Cool completely on wire rack. Slice. Eat. Yum. Wrap and store leftovers in the fridge.

Pork Chops with Feta Skillet

This is one family who loves the flavor of feta cheese. Even my kids like the flavor. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to make it. This recipe also just happens to be one of my cooking class recipes that I made back in early 2007. The only problem I had with this recipe was the feta cheese melting properly. I decided that the meat might need to be slightly undercooked and placed under a broiler with the feta cheese on top for it to melt just right. That way the meat doesn't come out dry and the cheese melts.

Pork Chops with Feta Skillet

1 teas. crushed dried rosemary
1 teas. dried basil
1 teas. minced garlic
1 pinch black pepper
2 tbls. olive oil
4 pork chops
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 container of crumbled feta cheese (with basil & tomatoes)

In a small mixing bowl, stir together rosemary, basil, garlic and pepper. Place lemon juice into another bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip pork chops in lemon juice and sprinkle with dried herb mixture. Place pork chops in skillet and sear both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle feta on top of chops, cover skillet and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes. Or place under broiler in oven. Remove from skillet and serve warm. Serve with a side of couscous and a nice green salad.