S’MORES COOKIES

 S’MORES COOKIES

Sheets of graham crackers, broken into halves

Full size marshmallows, cut in half

Hershey’s Chocolate Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (store bought or homemade)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place 4-6 graham cracker halves, layer each with a piece of chocolate and top with a marshmallow half. Scoop a ball of cookie dough and dome on top of the s’more. Flatten and pinch the dough to completely cover the top of the s’more with cookie dough. Repeat to cover each cookie. Chill the cookies on the baking sheet for about 15-30 minutes before baking. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, leaving about an inch in between the cookies so they have room to spread. Once the tops of the cookies begin to brown, remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

1 cup mayonnaise

1 can of artichoke hearts - chopped

1 5 oz. container of fresh shredded parmesan cheese

1 can of green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients and then spread into a small casserole or baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Dip will be bubbly and cheesy.  Serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers or both!

TOMATO & BURRATA SALAD

Equal parts arugula & spinach

Juice of a lemon

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Tomatoes (use a variety: sliced Roma, garden fresh, heirloom cherry etc.) 

Burrata, 2-3 balls 

Pesto 

French, Artisan or Sourdough Bread

Slice bread and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil in over until crispy.  Meanwhile, mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste and then toss over greens. Place greens on a large platter. Add tomatoes. Place burrata balls in the center.  Dot greens, tomatoes and burrata with dollops pesto. Drizzle lemon dressing over everything.  Place crispy French bread slices around edge of platter.  Can be eaten as a salad or bruschetta. 

ROSEMARY-SESAME PECANS

ROSEMARY-SESAME PECANS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

¼ cup sesame seeds

2 large egg whites

1 pound (about 4 cups) pecan halves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.  Whisk together the sugar, salt, rosemary, and sesame seeds in a small mixing bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are slightly frothy, then add the pecans, and toss to coat evenly.  Add the herb mixture to the pecans, and toss to coat evenly.  Spread the pecans out on the baking sheets, and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the nuts are toasted, and the coating is dry.

CRANBERRY SALSA WITH CREAM CHEESE

1 12-oz package fresh cranberries
¼ cup green onion, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash of salt
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
 
Put your cranberries in a food processor.  Chop up green onions, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper into small pieces. Add all ingredients but the cream cheese into a bowl. Mix them all together, cover and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. The sugar needs some time to soak in to the cranberries and break up their bitter taste.  When you are ready to serve, place cream cheese bricks on a plate.  Spread the cream cheese out as evenly as you can.  Pour cranberry mixture over the cream cheese.  Spread it all around.  Serve immediately with Wheat Thins, Ritz Crackers or tortilla chips.

OATMEAL COCONUT RASPBERRY BARS

• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into  pieces
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 12oz. jar of raspberry jam, stirred thoroughly to loosen

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment so that the parchment runs up the sides of the pan. Butter parchment.
2. Spread 3/4 cup coconut  evenly on a baking sheet and toast in middle of oven, checking every 2 minutes and stirring, until  golden, about 8 minutes, then cool.
3. Blend together flour,  sugar, and salt in a food processor, then add butter and blend until a dough  begins to form. Transfer to a bowl and knead in oats and toasted coconut until combined well.
4. Reserve 3/4 cup dough,  then press remainder evenly into bottom of prepared baking  pan and spread jam over it. Crumble reserved dough evenly over jam, then  sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup (untoasted) coconut.
5. Bake in middle of oven  until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift out in 1 piece using the parchment as handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars.

Bars can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room  temperature.

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini (1 large or 2 small zucchinis)
up to 1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the frosting:
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the zucchini. If your mixture is still very powdery, add up to 1/4 cup hot water (start with 1 tablespoon and work up from there, stirring well after each addition). The batter will be crumbly, but shouldn't be powdery. Add walnuts, if desired.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched.
5. To make the frosting: Melt butter and cocoa together, stir and set aside to cool. Stir together milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into squares.

Yield: about 24 brownies.

Enjoy!

Macy sure did.

THAI BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
12 large Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1 bunch each mint and cilantro, leaves picked, rinsed and dried
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Crumble in beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink.

2. Add sweet pepper, scallion, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat; stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil.

3. To serve, put lettuce and cilantro on a platter. Place 1/4 cup beef mixture in a piece of lettuce, top with some cucumber, mint and cilantro. Squeeze some lime on top and roll up. We love to serve with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce for dipping as well.

STANDING BEEF RIB ROAST WITH MUSTARD JUS

I saw this in the latest Rachel Ray magazine and knew it was a must-try. Andy's birthday dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity. We actually cut the recipe in half and used a smaller roast because Costco's standing beef rib roasts are a little pricey (but oh so tasty). And, we didn't have any brandy on hand so we used beef broth there too and it turned out just delicious.

5 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 1 rosemary sprig
1 teaspoon paprika
One 9- to 10-pound standing beef rib roast with 4 ribs.
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup brandy
2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1. Using the flat side of a knife, mash 4 cloves garlic with 1 tablespoon salt until the mixture forms a paste. Mix in the chopped rosemary, 2 teaspoons pepper and the paprika.

2. Coat the roast with the garlic mixture and transfer fat side up to a roasting pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours (ore refrigerate over night, then let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting). Remove the plastic wrap before roasting.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Transfer the roasting pan and meat to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking for 1 hour. Brush the roast all over with 3 tablespoons mustard and roast until it reaches 115 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for rare, about 15 minutes more (the temperature will continue to rise). Transfer to a carving board with a well, tent loosely with foil and let the meat rest for 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, discard the fat in the roasting pan, leaving the drippings. Place the pan over medium-high heat, add the brandy and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth and rosemary sprig. Smash the remaining garlic clove and add to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon mustard; strain.

5. Carve the roast, adding any carving juices to the mustard sauce.

BRUSCHETTA

Remember on Julie and Julia when Julie made the bruschetta and the world's mouth watered? On occasion I have to make it and relish in the goodness.

Sliced French bread
Tomato
Basil
Garlic
Olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper

I start by heating the butter and garlic in a skillet. Once it is hot, fry slices of bread on both sides until golden brown and crunchy.

Dice the tomato and chiffonade the basil. Combine tomatoes and basil with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Top toasts with tomato mixture and enjoy.

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS

This is sort of like homemade Panda Express, but way better! You must try!

1 cup brown rice
18 ounces frozen chicken nuggets
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup roasted cashews
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Cook the rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook the chicken according to the package directions. (If there's a pan frying option, choose it; otherwise, bake.)

In a small bowl, make the sauce: whisk together the preserves, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes. Add the snow peas and jalapeno and cook, tossing, until the vegetables are just tender, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Add the chicken, sauce, and cashews and toss to coat. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

CHINESE DUMPLINGS

Bailu came over and we made delicious dumplings. We just used store-bought won-ton wrappers. We stuffed them with a mixture of ground turkey, carrots, cabbage, ginger, garlic, and some secret Chinese spice that she had. They turned out SO GOOD. I don't have an exact recipe, but I didn't want to forget about them.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

From Brenda Funderburk

2 jalapenos
1 whole chicken (you can go the easy route and use a rotisserie chicken)
1 diced onion
1 diced green bell pepper
2 packets of mild taco seasoning
2 teaspoons cumin
½ minced garlic clove
2 cans of Rotell™ tomatoes
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro (some for garnish)
5 limes (some for garnish)
Sour cream (for garnish)
Grated Cheese (for garnish)
Tortilla Chips (for garnish)

Prepare chicken, place in large pot. Cover with water, add 2 whole jalapenos and boil for 1 hour. Remove chicken and jalapeno, set aside. Strain with a colander twice, reserve. Once chicken has cooled to handle, de-bone and de-skin the chicken, place bite-size pieces into broth. Place broth and chicken into the refrigerator until chicken fat comes to top and skim. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and one boiled jalapenos (remove seeds). Add sautéed vegetables, cumin, garlic, tomatoes, some cilantro and 1 lime. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with garnishes.

RELISH APPETIZER

This is such a rich and delicious appetizer.

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup diced red peppers
1 jar of Harry & David Pepper & Onion Gourmet Relish
2 tsp. dried chili pepper flakes
1 can corn
3 green onions

Place cream cheese on a platter. Top with 1 jar of Harry & David Pepper & Onion Gourmet Relish mixed with corn and peppers. Top with diced green onions. Serve with rice crackers, wheat thins or your favorite cracker.

MAXINE BLOTTER'S PANCAKES

AKA BRENDA'S DELICIOUS BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

2 cups flour (part whole wheat, part white)
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
4 eggs
Dash of salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Mix well and they're ready to go. Brenda makes these and puts nuts in them and they are heavenly. Bye Bye Bisquick.

BRENDA'S STUFFED PEPPERS

This recipe is from Andy's mom. Which means it is like a lot of her recipes - she some times makes it up as she goes. And that is why I love them!

Peppers
Hamburger
1/2 cup minute rice
Onions
Garlic
Corn
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded cheese

Cut tops off of peppers and clean out. Keep some of the top part of the pepper and dice. Steam peppers. Brown hamburger with onion, diced peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Add to this mixture 1/2 cup cooked minute rice. Maybe a can of corn. Add spaghetti sauce. Stuff peppers with filling and cover with foil. Bake for 20-30. Top with shredded cheese and continue to bake until melted.

CHICKEN BAKE

I found this recipe in a magazine and it didn't have any increments. This kind of scared me because I am really good at following a recipe! But I just went for it and it turned out so great. I put it together during my lunch hour, put it in the oven and timed it to begin cooking 30 minutes before I got home. The smell greeting me when I walked in the door was amazing! It was like walking into my mom's house after church on Sunday. And the way it tasted was even better than the way it smelled. Try it! I think the key is balancing your amount of liquids with how much rice you put in.

Butter
Sliced white mushrooms
Flour
Marsala wine
Heavy cream
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Long-grain rice
Rotisserie chicken
Grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet, add mushrooms and cook until softened. Stir in flour, Marsala and cream and cook until thickened. Stir in 2 cups of water, some parsley, salt and pepper. Sprinkle uncooked rice (2 cups) in a baking dish, top with chopped chicken and the mushroom gravy. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Then sprinkle Parmesan and bake 5 more minutes.

This is what it looked like before putting the cheese on.

COCONUT-LIME CHICKEN SOUP

This is so flavorful and delicious! Every bite tasted better than the one before. It is also a pretty affordable dish.

1 2-lb rotisserie chicken
1 15-oz can coconut milk
2 cups water
1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)
3 medium carrots, thin-sliced diagonally (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons green curry paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Fresh cilantro, lime wedges and chili pepper flakes for garnishing.

1. Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken. In large saucepan, combine shredded chicken with coconut milk, water, lime juice, carrots, soy sauce, green curry paste and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.

2. To serve, sprinkle bowls of soup with cilantro and chili pepper flakes. Squeeze fresh limes and enjoy.

MUSHROOM RICE PILAF

½ cup onion, minced
½ cup celery, finely chopped
¼ cup butter
1 ½ cup uncooked regular long grain rice
6 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 tsp salt
½ tsp crumbled thyme
3 ½ cups chicken broth

Cook onion and celery in butter until tender; add rice and cook until golden. Add mushrooms, salt, and thyme. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Serves 8.