Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Forget regular Snickerdoodles, I'm sticking with Snickerdoodle Blondies and these new gems and calling it a win!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Makes 3 1/2 dozen

3 3/4 c (1 lb 2 3/4 oz) flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c (7 oz) sugar

1/2 c (3 1/2) light brown sugar, packed

3/4 c (180 grams) pumpkin puree 

1 egg

1 Tbsp vanilla

For rolling:

3 1/2 oz sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cloves

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg then set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, pumpkin, and sugars in a stand mixture with the paddle attachment.
3. Add in egg and vanilla until combined.
4. Add in the dry ingredients until combined.
5. Cover and chill for at least an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350.
7. Mix the rolling sugar and spices in a shallow dish.
8. Roll dough into balls (a generous tablespoon of dough) and roll in the sugar.
9. Bake for 13-14 minutes (the cookies are more cake-y than crumbly, so keep that in mind when judging their done-ness.)

Chicken Salad

So, I have only discovered enjoying chicken salad in the last few months...it's been so hot around here I decided I needed to attempt to make a batch for myself. My recipe contains no nuts or celery like your standard chicken salad, but I find it delicious (and neither of those things would be consumed by Hubby since he's allergic to celery, yes I said celery, and he hates when nuts are mixed into "otherwise perfectly good food"...so there you have it...and don't ever try to give him a brownie with nuts mixed in unless you want to see a combo sad/angry face.)


It may continue to evolve a bit, but I'm pretty stoked with what I've come up with so far!  

Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Estimated Point Value: 4 pts

14 oz deboned rotisserie chicken meat (white meat only)
4 Tbsp Light Miracle Whip*
3 Tbsp dried cranberries
3 Tbsp frozen peas
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined. Serve over lettuce, in a hollowed out tomato, a red bell pepper halve, or in a croissant (none of those serving options are included in the estimated point value given above.)


*Whatever, I use Miracle Whip because it's delicious, you can use mayo if you want, but I'm gonna think you're sorta gross...well, not really...it'll be delicious, just less...zing! We can still be friends. Promise.

Rice Krispie Treats

Today I discovered that one regular box of Rice Krispie's is actually "meant" for 2 full batches of Treats...obviously this was the intended purpose so I decided to make one batch of regular Treats and one peanut butter.

Brilliance people, sheer brilliance.

Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from Rice Krispies

Makes one 13x9 inch pan

3 Tbsp margerine or salted butter

10 oz marshmallows (any size)

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 cups* Rice Krispies

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan or pot on low heat.
2. Add marshmallows and stir frequently until melted.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. Remove from heat and fold in cereal.
5. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan and press into place.**
6. Cool on the counter before cutting.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Makes one 13x9 inch pan

3 Tbsp margerine or salted butter

10 oz marshmallows (any size)

1/2 vanilla

2/3 cup peanut butter

6 cups Rice Krispies*

1 cup Reese's Pieces

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan or pot on low heat.
2. Add marshmallows and stir frequently until melted.
3. Stir in vanilla and peanut butter until smooth.
4. Remove from heat and fold in cereal and Reese's Pieces.
5. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan and press into place.**  
6. Cool on the counter before cutting.

*This was 160 grams of dry cereal, I found (as I usually do) weighing was the easier way to go here.

**I use a plastic sandwich bag over my hand sprayed with cooking spray to avoid a complete sticky disaster. Call me crazy, but it works!

Mini Iced Sugar Cookies

Happy Easter!!

I've had "Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!" in my head for the past 24 hours...not in a bad way, but I never could quite since those alleluias sung in tune...at all. Still it's one of my favorite hymns of all time and you really only hear it at Easter in most churches (unless you get a special request day...oh man...those were the best...Dad always requests #600 Wonder Words of Life...one hymn I can still play on the piano without much trouble at all...then again...I was always better at hymns than your standard-issue classical tunes...it was the chords...I have super long fingers...this makes hymns a bit easier...but I digress.)

I saw these cookies a week or so ago and knew I wanted to make them for the post-church lunch we're hosting for our family and friends today for a couple of reasons.

#1 - Sugar cookies are The Hubby's favorite and I have yet to perfect these bad boys. (I believe I have done so with this recipe).

#2 - How cute are the Cadbury Mini-Eggs?! I had never eaten one until baking these cookies and oh my goodness, I'm HOOKED! The colors are great and springy and fun.

We don't do Easter Bunny shenanigans around here, but that doesn't mean we don't enjoy a good theme-cookie =)

Mini Iced Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

Makes 5 dozen mini-cookies

Cookies

22 1/4 oz flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

10 1/2 oz sugar

3 eggs

2 Tbsp vanilla

Icing

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

5 Tbsp milk

1/3 cup unsalted better, meled

1 Tbsp vanilla

Green food coloring

Mini Cadbury Eggs (2 bags)

Cookies

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a stand-mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium/high until fluffy.
3. With the mixer still going, add in the eggs and vanilla (each egg one at a time).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour mixture (I kept the machine going and just kept adding in spoonfuls of the flour so the mixer wouldn't get too overwhelmed).
5. Cover the dough and chill for at least one hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare baking sheets.
7. Roll the dough into balls using about a tablespoon of dough (or if you're a nut like me, 3/4 oz of dough per ball...love my kitchen scale!) and place on the cookie sheets.
8. Bake the first set of sheets for 10-11 minutes, rotating once halfway through. (Bake the remaining sheets 9-10 minutes.)
9. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to allow them to completely cool before icing.

Icing

1. Beat together all the icing ingredients (add more sugar to thicken, more milk to thin) - I used 8 drops of food coloring for this amount of icing.
2. Make sure the icing is thick enough that it will harden and keep the candy eggs in place.
3. Using a star-tip, ice the cookies and place three eggs on top.
4. Allow the icing to set completely before storing.

I ran out of eggs because I'm a moron and so I used some jellybeans. Which this isn't as cute, it's certainly tasty and good for any non-chocolate lovers in your house (I have no idea what those people are personally, but I hear they exist...people that don't like chocolate...)

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is ris'n today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heav'ns, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!

Christ has opened Paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

Dying once He all doth save, Alleluia!

Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Foll'wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!

Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!

Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!

Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!

Everlasing life is this, Alleluia!

Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!

Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Mac & Cheese Soup

This soup* was sort of amazing...and I can't wait to make it again. I made it for lunch with my gals and we had some cheese bread from Whole Foods that was sort of amazing along side. Granted, me and my gals rarely make poor food decisions ;-)

Mac & Cheese Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 5

Estimated Point Value: 6 pts.

4 oz Barilla Plus elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

Small handful of baby carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp light butter

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup skim milk

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp dry mustard

salt and fresh pepper to taste

10 oz broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces

6 oz 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. Cook macaroni to al dente using the package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, melt butter and saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened.
3. Whisk in flour, dry mustard, salt and pepper and allow to cook out for a few minutes before pouring in milk and stock while constantly stirring/whisking.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add in the broccoli and allow to cook for about 5 minutes (or more if you want softer broccoli).
6. Add in both types of cheese, stirring til smooth, and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni right before serving (so they don't get too mushy).

*Yes, I realize I'm posting a lot of soup recipes...I love soup and I sort of missed out on National Soup Month and have been making it up to myself lately. I also realize that I've been neglecting to take photos of my recipes which was a goal for the year....sometimes a girl just wants to eat all the things...

Kissy Cookies

In my family these gems are known as Kissy Cookies, but to many people these are also known as Peanut Blossoms. No Christmas cookie platter is to be without these classics. I made these twice during the week of Christmas and New Year's because they are so delicious and always a crowd pleaser!

Kissy Cookies

Adapted from Hershey's

Makes 2 dozen

4 Tbsp shortening

6 Tbsp peanut butter (Jif is my baking PB of choice)

2 Tbsp granulated white sugar (plus some for rolling)

3 Tbsp light brown sugar

1 egg white

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

24 Hershey's Kisses (unwrapped)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare two baking sheets.
2. Beat together the shortening and peanut butter in a stand mixer until combined.
3. Add in the sugars and beat until fluffy.
4. Add in the egg, honey, milk, and vanilla until well incorporated.
5. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
6. Slowly add the flour mixture and combine.
7. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them around in granulated sugar before placing on the baking sheets.
8. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
9. Immediately press one unwrapped Hershey's Kiss into eat cookie and allow to cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

5 Generations of Pumpkin Pie

This is an epic blog post people. EPIC. Are you ready????

Who doesn't need a killer Pumpkin Pie recipe in their back pocket? Well, I just happened to be sent the recipe for my Great Great Grandmother's Pumpkin Pie by my mother just before Thanksgiving this year. I knew I had to try it...when I emailed my Aunt to double-check a few things (always a good idea when receiving a recipe that's been passed around...and one that does not involve certain crucial measurements, like you know, how much pumpkin to use...Love you Mom!) I got back so much more than I was expecting (although I should have known since my aunt is the keeper of all the family heritage items, that I would get more than I asked for -- in a good way!)

Check it out!

This is a picture of my Great Great Grandparents, Anna (Nettie) and Edward and the second is a group shot of four generations of my maternal grandmother's side (coincidentally the very same grandmother that taught me to bake a pie in the first place! My first pie was a cherry pie that I baked for my parent's anniversary...I cut out hearts in the crust because I'm forever a romantic. Yup. That happened.)

How cool to have all this to go along with the recipe!

I've only made slight adaptations to the recipe that has been in my family for generations (five for me which is six generations for my daughter someday if she ever decides to bake this pie!) and tested it out on two of the three best pumpkin pie critics I know (Subject Three will someday taste the deliciousness I'm sure!)

My Test Testers!!

My Great Great Grandma Nettie's Pumpkin Pie

Makes 1 pie

15 oz canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs, separated

1 pie crust

1. Prepare a pie pan with a crust (prepared, home-made, whatever you prefer, but I suggest using a deep dish pie pan, not one of those little short ones, got nothing against shorties (obviously, look at me...) but trust me on this one!)
2. Mix together the first eight ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) plus the egg yolks.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and using a whisk, gently combine into the pumpkin mixture (I threw mine in my KitchenAid and let do the work for me while I pulled together the other ingredients).
4. Poor into prepared pie shell (it'll look pretty fluffy!)
5. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another 40-50-60 minutes (yes I realize this is a wide-range, but after mid-bake phone calls I learned that pumpkin pie done-ness is more of an art than a science, so you'll have to just watch it and learn your pie pan and your oven!)

Merry Christmas!!

Baby Shower Punch

This has become my go-to punch and since it's been used for two baby showers so far I shall call it Baby Shower Punch.

Baby Shower Punch

2-2 liter bottles ginger ale
46 oz can pineapple juice
64 oz white grape juice
Strawberries (fresh and/or fresh)

Mix together the three liquids then garnish with strawberry slices and/or floating frozen strawberries. Easy and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

This past weekend my friend, E (of The TV Chick TVD Recap fame) and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Katie. A good time was had by all and I finally got to try out a new sweet dip I'd had my eye on. It was amazing.

And yes, there was a pink chocolate fountain. You can be jealous of your lack of attendance at this event for so many reasons...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8oz cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate animal crackers, for dipping

Graham crackers, for dipping

1. In a small sauce pan melt butter and whisk in brown sugar until dissolved and just bubbling. Add vanilla and set aside to cool.
2. In stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar.
3. With the mixer on low, add in the butter/sugar mixing until combined.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Serve with chocolate animal crackers and/or graham crackers...or spoons (depending on your crowd!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

I've been in a pumpkin baking mood of late (okay, ever since those Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes happened about a month ago). I've saved several things to try and this was the first of those new recipes, it's sort of delicious.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes one 13x9 inch pan

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

8.5 oz pumpkin puree

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

10-12oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 5 oz chunks and 6 oz mini chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 13x9 inch pan.
2. Cream together butter and sugar in a stand mixer.
3. Add in egg , vanilla, and pumpkin then beat til combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes and allow to cool before cutting.

These make a delicious breakfast treat with a cup of coffee...you know, if you're into that type of thing ;-)

Apple Muffins (or Apple Breakfast Cake)

So, I have become mildly obsessed with Pinterest. I had previously signed up and cancelled the account (at least twice) because I couldn't figure out how to make the website work for me. Then one afternoon it hit me, or more accurately the random piles of magazine clippings got to be a little insane in my "Mama Bag" (do you have one of these? A bag filled with Mama's Stuff... magazines, iPod, books, Bible, journal, Sudoku puzzles....okay, maybe just me...) I'm not really one to troll the Internet in search of ideas. I have GoogleReader that I use to save blog posts I want to keep around, I use my email drafts to keep track of recipes I wanted to try...then it dawned on me, "I could use Pinterest as a replacement for my magazine clippings!" One thing has led to another and I'm a Pinterest sell-out. I'm still not huge on trolling the incestual pool (there's a chance I made that word up...Megan will tell me if that is so I'm sure) of Pinterest pins, but I have loved having a place to store ideas from all over the place virtual and otherwise.

Anyway, back to my point...Apple Muffins. I searched for apple muffins recently and a picture on Pinterest (yes, during the trolling I just said that I don't really do...) caught my eye. These muffins had to be made, NOW! The recipe ended up being perfect for 12 muffins and one 8 1/2" loaf pan...and the results were delicious.

(And this is my photo which is not near as good as the one that sparked my interest =P)

Apple Muffins (or Apple Breakfast Cake)

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything -->Consequently could also be my name =P

Makes 12 muffins and one loaf-pan

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 cups peeled, diced apples

Light brown sugar, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin and loaf pans (I used parchment paper on the long sides of the loaf pan so I could remove the baked cake easily).
2. Cream together sugars, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.
3. Add in the dry ingredients slowly until combined.
4. Gently fold in the apples.
5. Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full and pour the remaining batter into the loaf pan (I have come to do this with muffins, or make mini-muffins as well, since I only have one muffin pan and I'm impatient so I like to have everything in the oven as soon as possible...probably also comes from the fact that baking while the toddler is napping is baking on borrowed time =P)
6. Sprinkle the tops of both the muffins and the loaf with brown sugar (don't be stingy!)
7. Bake the muffins for 20-24 minutes and the loaf pan for 45-50 minutes.

I'd imagine these would be good with a caramel drizzle...but I haven't tried it...yet ;-) The bread was a hit at my women's Bible study this morning and Hubby took the muffins into work so I'd say we had a good success on our hands!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Welcome fall =)

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/3 cups flour

1 1/2 Tbsp instant espresso

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cloves

7 1/2 oz pumpkin puree

1/2 cup granulated/white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup (strong) coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl mix together the flour, instant espresso, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a stand mixer, combine the pumpkin puree, sugars and oil.
4. Add the eggs in one at a time and beat well.
5. On low speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes for about 10 minutes and then brush with the 1/4 cup of coffee. Go over them twice letting the coffee soak in pretty good between each time.
8. Cool completely and then ice the cupcakes with whipped cream frosting (I used store-bought because I am terrible at homemade icing at this time...perhaps at a later date I will master this...)
9. When serving, dust with cinnamon and drizzle on some caramel sauce if you're looking for something extra tasty ;-)

Beef Brisket

One of my items on my 30 by 30 To Do List was a beef brisket. We haven't been able to smoke brisket successfully (yet, we've only really tried once -- too dry) but it is something I love if done correctly (and served chopped rather than just sliced). I knew Hubby was having a rough series of meetings starting today so I decided it was as good of a day as any for my first oven brisket attempt.

The results were delicious and I'm not planning on doing anything differently next time this bad boy makes an appearance on the menu. Number 9 is off the list!

Beef Brisket

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Serves 4

2.5 lb beef brisket

2 Tbsp Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple Seasoning

1 packet dried onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1. Grease a casserole dish and trim fat off the of brisket.
2. Dry rub the brisket using the seasoning and 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.
3. In a small bowl combine the onion soup mix, ketchup, water, Worcestershire, and 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.
4. Pour the sauce over the brisket and cover the casserole with foil. Refrigerate until you are ready to bake (2 hours to overnight...can't go wrong!)
5. When you are ready, bake the covered dish at 275 (you can go ahead and throw it in while the oven is preheating, no big deal).
6. Cook for about 3 hours then uncover and turn the meat over. Recover and bake for another 2-3 hours.
7. The brisket should easily fall apart when done. Remove from the dish and slice, against the grain. Return to the pan with the sauce to serve.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

While on business travel in England my husband has discovered an amazing dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding. Apparently he has ordered it all over the country for practically every meal. For his birthday last night I decided to see if I could figure out how to make Sticky Toffee Pudding here at home and the results were amazing. This dessert is no joke and I can see why he calls it "the best thing about England".

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Adapted from FoodNetwork

Serves 4-6

Cake

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup pitted dates, finely chopped

1 1/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Sauce

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a square baking dish.
2. Place the chopped dates into a small bowl with the baking soda and then pour in the boiling water. Stir and set aside.
3. Beat together butter and sugar with a stand mixer, then add in egg and vanilla.
4. Slowly mix in flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
5. Fold in the date mixture into the batter until combined (it will be really wet/runny).
6. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the pudding cake is set.
7. Remove cake from oven while you make the sauce.
8. In a small sauce pan combine the sugar, butter, and heavy cream.
9. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
10. Boil on medium low for 8-10 minutes (still stirring constantly) or until the sauce thickens.
11. Take 2/3 cup of the sauce and pour directly onto the cake.
12. Broil the cake until bubbly (1-2 minutes).
13. Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle toffee sauce on top.

Do it, you won't regret a single moment.

Strawberry Shortcake

This is my current favorite strawberry shortcake recipe. It is far superior to my previous shortcake endeavors and will probably be sticking around for quite a while. I adapted it from a Martha Stewart recipe for Strawberry Cake (which is also delicious as is, but I like it in shortcake form a lot better!)

Strawberry Shortcake

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Serves 6-8

Shortcake

6 Tbsp butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

2 lbs. strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 Tbsp sugar

Whipped Cream/Ice Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a bowl toss the strawberries together with 2 Tbsp of sugar, cover, and place in the fridge.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.
4. Beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar together using a stand mixer.
5. Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla beating until combined.
6. Slowly add in the dry ingredients.
7. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch glass pie pan. (Optional - Sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw or turbinado sugar if desired.)
8. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes (you may have to cover the cake with foil to avoid the top getting too browned...I usually do this when there's 20 minutes left on my timer.)
9. Once cooled, slice and top with strawberries, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. and enjoy!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

If there is one thing My People love it's a Jell-O salad...there is rarely a family gathering that does not involve some sort of Jell-O concoction and even the non-Jell-O lovers in the crowd seem to enjoy this particular recipe. Strawberry Pretzel Salad is a favorite of my husband and cousins for sure (they usually get their own pan)!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Makes one 13 x 9 inch pan

2 cups crushed pretzels*

3/4 cup melted margarine

3 Tbsp sugar

6 oz box Strawberry Jell-O

20 oz frozen strawberries

2 cups water

8 oz cream cheese

4.5 oz Cool Whip

1 cup sugar

Pretzel Crust Layer

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Mix together melted butter, pretzels, and 3 Tbsp of sugar and pour into 13 x 9 inch pan.
• Bake for 8 minutes (be careful not to over-bake).
• Allow to cool.

Strawberry Layer (Part 1)

• While pretzels are cooling, bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan, then dissolve in the Jell-O.
• Continue stirring and mix in frozen strawberries.
• Set in the fridge while you prepare the cream cheese layer. (You don't want this to fully set-up, but you want it to not be a liquid when it goes on top of the cream cheese layer.)

Cream Cheese Layer

• Using a stand or hand mixer, combine Cool Whip, cream cheese, and 1 cup of sugar.
• Spread in an even layer over cooled pretzel crust.
• Place in the fridge for a few minutes to cool.

Strawberry Layer (Part 2)

• Stir the Jell-O and strawberry mixture and then spread on top of the cream cheese layer.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This is best made the day before you want to serve.

* I use Synder's of Hanover Thins...anything but the small rods works well

Mom's Vegetable Beef Soup

I was in the mood for soup today and found out after I had already gotten excited about soup for dinner that I was missing a few ingredients for the Taco Soup I had my heart set on. I did however have the ingredients to throw together a batch of my mom's vegetable soup. This was a staple recipe in my house growing up as we are big soup fans and huge fans of the slow cooker. It was even a hit with the hubby when my mom made it for us while staying and helping out after the birth of our daughter last year. This recipe can be made stove-top or in the slow cooker and is super versatile in that you can add or delete pretty much any ingredients that you chose and even make it meat-free if you wish. The key to this soup is definitely the combination of the V8 and the sugar (when I say "to taste" here I fully plan on using almost a tablespoon of sugar...no messing around here! My mom used to use a sugar substitute, probably Sweet N Low since that was still cool back in the 80s...I go for the real stuff.)

Mom's Vegetable Beef Soup

Serves 6-8

1/2 lb. ground beef*

2 c diced potatoes

64 oz V8 (I use Original, Low Sodium)

16 oz frozen veggies

Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

1. Brown ground beef in soup pot, season with salt and pepper.
2. Add in remaining ingredients (add veggies you like, cabbage is a good addition to this soup if you're into cabbage in your soup) and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and serve when you're ready (and potatoes are done, obviously.)

Seriously, it's that easy.

*I am not a huge fan of meat in soups (yeah, I know that's weird coming from me who loves meat) and have been known to fully enjoy a bowl of chicken noodle soup while leaving a bowl full of chicken bits when the meal is over. I don't use much meat in this soup, but like the way just a little bit flavors the soup...my mom would probably make this with at least a pound of ground beef and you can totally do that without doing anything strange to the balance of the soup as I have written it out above.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I had clipped this recipe out of a Martha Stewart magazine a few years ago and had always wanted to try it. It's made it's way around the blogs, so I had lots of comments to check out to make sure I didn't make any glaring mistakes. In the end these turned out amazingly well (even Hubby agreed and he was quite skeptical when I first mentioned the recipe) and it will definitely be a keeper (especially since it worked out to only be 2 WeightWatchers points per cookie with my adapted recipe!)

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 2 dozen

12 oz strawberries hulled and chopped (weight after prep)

Zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

9 Tbsp sugar (1/2 c + 1 Tbsp)

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 Tbsp cold butter cut into small cubes

2/3 c whole milk

Sugar in the Raw (or other turbinado sugar), optional, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place the prepped strawberries in a small bowl and gently toss with the lemon zest and juice and 2 Tbsp of sugar.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining 7 Tbsp of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, or if you're like me and don't have one of those, just work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until the whole thing is crumbly.
5. Once the butter is incorporated, pour in the milk and stir until just mixed before adding in the strawberries.
6. On parchment paper-lined cookie sheets drop the dough (which will be very similar to a biscuit dough rather than a cookie dough) in rounded tablespoons.*
7. Optional - Sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw or turbinado sugar if desired.
8. Bake at 375 for 20-24 minutes and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

I can only image these would be delicious with some strawberry ice cream, you know, if you're into that kind of thing. These are best served the day of baking, but are still delicious two days later as I can attest since I just ate one =)

Happy Spring!!

*The original recipe, and all the others I found online, claim this recipe makes three dozen cookies. Now I'm fully aware that we like large cookies in this house, but I do not think I made them even above average sized and I only got two dozen.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Since my quest for the perfect Snickerdoodle has been put on the back burner (hehe) I thought this might satisfy the Snickerdoodle craving that is frequently in my house.

Confession: I'm terrible at baking bar cookies. They are always weird when all is said and done, but I have been wanting to try Snickerdoodle Blondies for a few weeks now and today seemed about a good of a day as any!

I've seen this recipe on several different websites and every couple of months it seems to get a re-boot. The one I used came from Baked Perfection back in June 2010 since I trust Risa with all things baking-related!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Recipe from Baked Perfection

Makes 20-24 bars

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
a pinch nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and/or line a 9×13 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, and beat until smooth.
3. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish, so it’s best to spread it out with a greased spatula or your hands). Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool before cutting.

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is Hubby's favorite pasta dish and was on the menu for Valentine's Day this year (granted it actually happened Tuesday night, but whatever last minute decisions to grill steaks to take advantage of unseasonably warm weather are definitely acceptable!) Given that this was something I'd shied away from for a while I went straight to the experts at Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen for help and background reading materials.

After much reading I realized that the technique behind this dish was just as important as the ingredients. I tried out their suggestions, but there were a few hint I picked up along the way so am going to incorporate them into the instructions for next time. All in all, very delicious.

Pasta Carbonara

8 oz pasta

4 oz bacon, sliced into small pieces/ribbons

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup chicken broth (or dry white wine)

1 1/4 oz shredded cheese*

2 large eggs

2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced/pressed

Table Salt

Pepper

Optional Step - Preheat oven to 200 and warm the serving dish you will use to mix and serve this dish. I went ahead and did this step, but if you were baking bread or something that would probably make the dish too hot, but you might be able to microwave it?

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces in the olive oil until they reach your desired "doneness" (since we all know bacon is an ongoing battle between the crispy and the floppy factions).
2. Add chicken stock/wine and reduce a bit then set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat the eggs together and mix with the cheese(s) and garlic.
4. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (I used a spaghetti) with 2 tsp of salt in the pasta water. Reserve some of the cooking water before draining the pasta just in case you need to add it to your sauce to help coat the noodles.
5. Take the drained pasta (still slightly wet) and pour into the dish you are going to serve out of (potentially the one that has been warming in the oven) and immediately toss with the egg/cheese mixture. Use a little of the reserved liquid if necessary. -->The "immediately" is key here otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs from them sitting on top of the hot noodles for too long before the tossing begins.
6. Once the noodles are coated, toss in the bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away. --> Some people toss the bacon at the same time as the eggs, but from what I read this can get clumpy so I wasn't going to take any chances of the bacon not being as evenly distributed as possible ;-)

Deliciousness personified I tell you, deliciousness.

*I used 1/2 oz of a Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese blend and then an additional 3/4 oz of Parmeasan.