Saturday, November 29, 2014

Another Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My girls love Baylor!  Jenna's best friend at Baylor (other than Annie) is Kylee!  Kylee has already been to Omaha twice - we love Kylee!  We were in Baylor not too terribly long ago and Kylee had made chocolate chip cookies.  I thought they were amazing!  She made HUGE cookies.  While I like HUGE cookies, I usually use a smaller cookie scoop so I can get more cookies out of a recipe!!

These cookies have a great flavor.  While I try not to cook much with Crisco.... these cookies are made with Butter Flavored Crisco and only brown sugar.  They have a different flavor then you are used to.... but oh so yummy!  Kylee also suggests the larger Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips mixed with a few regular semi-sweet.  Try them - you will love them!



Chocolate Chip Cookies - adapted from Kylee

3/4 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
2 cups unpacked brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups flour, leveled
1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Cream together Crisco, brown sugar and egg.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Add baking powder, salt, and milk - mixing together.  Add flour and mix well.  Add chocolate chips.  Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop dough and place on baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes.  Edges will start to brown :)  Enjoy!

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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

I love pecans and pecan pie anything.  I found several recipes online but decided to go with this one.  I typically like brown sugar in the crust and thought this one would be a winner.  I was right!  The bottom had a little bit of a chewy, caramelized texture.  These bars are fabulous.  Be sure to spray the pan very well!!

Visit Just a Pinch for amazing recipes.  These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are by Kelli Thomas at Just a Pinch.  



Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars - by Kelli Thomas on Just a Pinch

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Filling:

3 eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
11.5 oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chunks
1  1/2 cups pecans, coursely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 13 x 9 pan very well.  Beat the flour, butter and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl until crumbly.  Press into the pan and bak for 12 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling, beast the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla with a wire whisk.  Stir in chocolate chunks and pecan pieces.  Pour over the baked crust.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.  Cut into bars when cool.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

North Woods Wild Rice & Chicken Soup

As I have mentioned before, I am a preschool director.  I am so blessed to work with 17 wonderful teachers and another great group of children's staff.  The teachers know I am a foodie so we are always talking food and recipes.  One of my newer teachers, Molly, shared this family favorite soup. Her family loves it and I knew mine would too.  Molly doubles it and usually adds a little extra cream cheese.  There are only three of us with the older two at college so I didn't double it.  We loved it!  It is a very hearty soup - kind of chowder like.  Mine did get a little thick so I added another cup of chicken broth.  Serve with crusty French bread and a salad!!



North Woods Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth (or more if gets too thick)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 cup Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice, cooked
1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped
4 oz cream cheese

In a 4 qt Dutch oven, melt butter.  Add onion, celery and carrots, stirring over medium heat until carrots and celery are tender.  Stir in flour, salt and pepper.  Add broth all at once.  Cook and stir until bubbly.  Stir in evaporated milk, wild rice, cooked chicken and cream cheese.  Cook over medium heat until cream cheese is melted.  *Recipe can easily be doubled


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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Pressure Cooker - Potato and Corn Chowder

Most of you might not know but I love QVC.  I don't order daily but I do order regularly.  I find they have great products and great prices.

I recently ordered a pressure cooker from them.  I also ordered a cookbook - Comfortable Under Pressure by Meredith Laurence.  

I love the pressure cooker.  I am still figuring it out but I am loving it so far.  I have made a soup, a roast and veggies and potatoes.  I think the pressure cooker will be great for the holidays when I am using both ovens and possibly my Crock Pot too.

Everything has been yummy.  I am going to share the recipe for the soup - Potato and Corn Chowder. I thought this soup was fabulous!  I think you could totally adjust this soup to the stove top - maybe a little less liquid.  Pressure cookers are known for needing at least a cup of liquid or more.


Potato and Corn Chowder - for a Pressure Cooker - adapted from Meredith Laurence

8 strips bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
3 carrots, finely diced
3 celery ribs, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh (I used frozen)
3 cups small yellow potatoes, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp flour
2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 quart chicken stock/broth
1 cup half and half or heavy cream (I used cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used a small amt of dried)

Preheat the pressure cooker using the BROWN setting.  If no brown setting or doing on a stove top, brown the bacon until crispy.  When crispy, remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon.  Add onion, carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, corn and potatoes to the cooker.  Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes and then sprinkle with thyme, salt, cayenne, flour and pepper.  Stir well to distribute evenly over vegetables. Add the chicken stock and lock the lid in place.  Pressure cook on high six minutes.  Release the pressure with a quick release method and carefully remove the lid.  Stir the soup and use a potato masher to crush some of the potatoes.  Add the half and half or cream.  Season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Garnish with the reserved bacon pieces.  Serve with green salad and crusty bread.

TIP - if planning to serve right away, half and half works great.  If you want to re-heat the sopu for later on or plan on having leftovers, you might use cream instead.   Cream doesn't separate when it gets reheated.

Serves 6 - Quick and Easy

**There are no instructions for adapting to stove top.  I would brown bacon in a large stock pot like mentioned above.  Remove pieces and saute' veggies and corn til tender.  I might cook the potatoes separately and add them in. Add the chicken broth and spices and simmer.  I would add cream and simmer a bit longer

Printable Versionhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1nt1hiQpMwJjaUirMVu7s2S83z9yomlWvmWKw6m6QND8/edit?usp=sharing