Smock Tacos

Smock Tacos: (You can use how ever many tortillas you want depending on how many people you're serving.  One taco is PLENTY! The same goes with the other ingredients.)


Tortillas (Soft taco shells)
Marshmallow fluff
Peanut butter
Chocolate chips
Apples
Butter


Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.  Lay each tortilla on a large piece of aluminum foil.  Spread fluff, chocolate chips and peanut butter on the center of each tortilla.  Roll each one up and wrap with foil.  Put the tacos into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, of until the chocolate is melted.  In the meantime, chop the apples into small chunks and melt about 1 T. of butter in a skillet.  Stew the apples.  When the tacos are melty, remove them from the foil and sprinkle with apples.  Dig in!


Bon Appetit!    

Fun Brownies with Butterscotch Drizzle and Mini Chocolate Chips

Fun Brownies with Butterscotch Drizzle and Mini Chocolate Chips

Brownies:

1 stick butter

4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz. total)

2 cups white or brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

In a large saucepan over very low heat, melt and blend the first two ingredients.  Remove from heat, add and stir the last four ingredients.  Bake in a 9x9" greased pan for aprox. 30 minutes.  

Butterscotch Drizzle:

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1-2 tablespoons butter

Melt the chips and butter in a very small saucepan.  Watch the mixture carefully and be sure not to scorch or burn.  *It does not take long for this to melt!*

Either cut the brownies into circles with a biscuit cutter or simply cut with a knife into squares.  Arrange the brownies on a platter or dish, drizzle them with butterscotch sauce and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and/or more butterscotch chips.

Bon Appetit

Pumpkin Puree

Homemade pumpkin puree, like canned pumpkin, is a pain to prepare.  When the task is done, it proves to be worth the while.  The puree is fresh and delicious. 
You will need:


-Sugar pumpkin(s)
-Large knife
-Large spoon
-Blender
-Stock pot with drainer/strainer


Start by putting a large pot with a strainer on the stove, full of water.  Next cutting the pumpkin in half.  Scoop out the guts and cut the skin and rind into chunks.  BE CAREFUL! The skin is thick and hard.  Once the water is boiling, start by adding, careful not to splash yourself, the pumpkin chunks.  Boil for 35-40 minutes or until the flesh is soft but not completely mushy.  Remove from the water and peel the skin off.  put the chunks into the blender and blend until pureed.  I used two sugar pumpkins and I probably had around 7-8 cups of pumpkin.  
You can use this is any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin.  Enjoy! 

No Flaw All-Purpose Chocolate Cake.

We took this All-Purpose Chocolate Sheet Cake from a Cooks Illustrated and changed it, a teeny bit.  Anyway, the person we gave it to, told us it was the best chocolate cake she had EVER eaten. That's something to brag about.  We sliced the cake in half, iced between the layers and on top and sprinkled a light coating of powdered (confectioner's) sugar.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. cocoa

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

a bit of salt

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease your cake pans.  Mix cocoa, flour and salt in a bowl (figure 1).  Heat the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (figure 2). *You can make a double boiler by pouring a small amount of water into a saucepan and putting your bowl of things to melt in the pan.*  Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.  Whisk chocolate into egg mixture until combined (figure 3).  Combine baking soda and buttermilk.  Whisk into chocolate mixture, then add dry ingredients until smooth.  Pour batter into your greased pan(s) and put in the oven.  Remove from the oven when, when stuck in the center of the cake, a toothpick comes out clean.  It'll be about 40 minutes.  When it's cooled, slice the cake in half.  *Stick in a toothpick on both the top and bottom of the cake.  See figures 5 & 6.  Then, slice the cake in half in between the toothpicks.  Use a sawing motion.  We use toothpicks so we can find exactly where the cake goes when you're finished icing it.*  Ice the cake with your favorite chocolate icing.  Come back soon for frosting/icing recipes!  Bon Appetit!

  

Quick Savory Cheese and Chive Rolls

     I found this Quick Yeast Roll recipe from All Recipes (see links).  I modified it to fit my needs by adding some ingredients, substituting whole wheat flour for white and here's what I came up with.  It's tested, of course, so it's perfect!  Please try and comment.  There's no butter and only one egg.  I used mini muffin tins, and I got about 36 rolls.  *Oh, and make sure you have enough time to let the dough rise.  About 30-45 minutes.* 

2 T. canola oil

3 T. sugar

1 1/8 c. hot water

1 T. active dry-yeast

1 egg, beaten

1 t. salt

2 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 T. chopped chives

1 c. cheddar cheese, grated

1 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the first three ingredients and wait until it's lukewarm.  Once it is, add the yeast and wait until it dissolves.  You'll know it has when the yeast turns into a bubbly, foamy substance.    Mix in egg, salt, flour, cheeses and chives.  Spoon into a mini muffin tin and bake for about 10-11 minutes or until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.  Have fun!

-The Cookies, Leah  

   

Simple Chocolate Icing

Here is a simple but delicious chocolate icing.  I like to use it to frost some tasty homemade cupcakes.  It's similar to a chocolate ganache. There are only two ingredients in this recipe and no butter at all.  For the chocolate chips, I used Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Read on! *Note: The pictures show the recipe being doubled.*

3/4 cup chocolate chips, dark chocolate is best

1/4 cup sour cream

Melt the chocolate (picture 1) over medium heat.  Once it is completely dissolved (picture 2) remove it from the heat.  Add the sour cream (picture 3) and whip until smooth and creamy (picture 4).  Enjoy!

Tubetti Pasta with White Cream Sauce and grilled Chicken

This meal was created one cheerful spring day when we met at my house for a get-together and dinner.  We decided that cream sauce on pasta and grilled chicken would go well together.  Yum!

*Makes about two servings and some left-overs*

For the Chicken:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Seasoning of your choice, we used lemon-pepper

3 T. olive oil, extra-virgin

2 cloves garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat your grill pan.  Pour on the oil and heat that.  Without crowding the chicken begin to add the strips.  Using a spatula, turn the chicken, occasionally sprinkling with your seasoning, until the strips are cooked all the way through.  To make sure that they are, slice through the center of your largest piece.  If it is still pink, continue cooking.  Turn onto a plate.     

For the White Cream Sauce:

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

Salt

Pepper

2 c. Milk

Lemon Juice, add as much as you like or as little as you like.

In heavy skillet, heat butter until melted; remove from heat and add flour, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth. Add milk slowly, stirring and return to medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add enough lemon juice to please your taste buds.  

For the Pasta:  

We used a pasta called tubetti.  They are little straight tubes.

Cook one box according to the packaging directions.  

Serve your pasta on a colorful plate with the cream sauce poured over and a few slices of chicken on top.  Enjoy!  

-The Cookies, Leah & Emma    

        

Garden-Fresh Bean & Tomato Salad

This super fresh salad is a refreshing summer side. It was inspired by a similar recipe that I read about. I tweaked it, added some ingredients and went on to create my bean and tomato salad.

1 small can, 12 oz. or so, cannellini beans
1 large handful grape or cherry tomatoes
handful basil leaves
the juice of one lemon
3 T. olive oil, extra-virgin is best
fresh ground peppercorns
salt to taste

Chop tomatoes in half (note: I like to use red and yellow tomatoes. It makes the salad even more colorful), drain and rinse beans, and chop the basil into thin strips. Mix those ingredients in your serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk your evoo, (extra-virgin olive oil), lemon juice, salt and fresh ground peppercorns. Pour over the salad, mix and garnish with a sprig of basil. Enjoy!
-The Cookies, Leah

The BEST Pesto in the World

Pesto is one of my favorite foods. Consequently, I have tried many different recipes. This one is by far the best!

2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
2 TBS romono
2 cloves pressed garlic
3 TBS softened butter
2 TBS pine nuts

Blend first 4 ingredients. Take out of blender. Add butter and grated cheeses.

This makes enough for one pound of pasta. I like to make a double batch and freeze what ever I don't use, it keeps in the freezer for a long time!
-The Cookies, Emma