Pecan Nougats

I was complaining to my mom that I really wanted some of Archway's pecan nougats, which unfortunately they no longer make (and haven't for quite some time). A few weeks later, she had this recipe for me. She also mentioned that in the comments on the recipe, someone said they now make cashew nougats! Unfortunately (according to the Archway site) they don't sell them anywhere in Washington, so I'm out of luck. Hopefully my brother can find them in Pennsylvania!

This recipe is great, although it just isn't what I remember Archway's nougats to be. Honestly, it seems very similar to another recipe I posted a while back, Russian Tea Cakes.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans (or other nut of your choice)
Confectioners' sugar

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
• Sift flour and salt together, add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Add nuts and mix well.
• Shape in to 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, do not brown.
• Let cool, then roll in confectioners' sugar.

Triple Berry Pie with Granola Topping

I made this pie to go with Thanksgiving at our house. My husband LOVES berry pies, and "store-bought" is a dirty word in our house (unless it's a crust, haha), so I found this recipe on Food Network's website!

I decided to buy individual bags of berries to make up my own mixture of mixed berries rather than buying what the store had as their mixed berries selection. Also, the recipe doesn't say what kind of granola to use on the top, so I used a maple granola I found at Yoke's here in town. It went good with the maple whipped cream!

1 premade deep-dish frozen pie crust

3 - 12 oz bags of frozen mixed berries, thawed

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp instant tapioca

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

4 Tbsp cold butter, cubed

1 cup granola

1 - 8 oz container whipped topping

2 Tbsp maple syrup

• Place a rack on the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• Put the pie shell on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the berries with the lemon zest and juice and tapioca. Stir together to combine completely and set aside.
• In medium bowl, mix together flour and brown sugar. With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Mix in the granola.
• Pour berry mixture into the pie crust and top with granola topping.
• Bake until the inside of the pie is bubbling and top is golden brown (about 45 to 50 minutes). If top browns too quickly, cover with foil.
• Remove from the oven and let cool at least 1 hour on wire rack before serving.
• Combine whipped topping and maple syrup. Mix well until blended. Serve with pie.

Baked Asparagus

This is an incredibly easy recipe, in fact so easy we like to take it with us to prepare while we're camping. You can cook it in disposable aluminum pans, 9 x 13 pans, whatever you want so cleanup can even be a breeze.

Usually we have our typical vegetables at Thanksgiving (green bean bake, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie) but I wanted a little more at our table since we were going to have a lot of meat and starches and not so many vegetables. This dish was perfect since I could prepare it ahead of time and just store it in the fridge until it is needed to be thrown in the oven.

3-4 bunches of asparagus

Garlic salt

1/2 cup butter

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse asparagus and break off approx 1/2 inch of bottom.
• Lay out in pan 3-4 layers thick.
• Sprinkle with garlic salt, to taste.
• Slice butter and lay out on top of asparagus.
• Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for approx 30 minutes or until tender.
• Serve warm.

Stewed Chicken with Andoiulle

I got this recipe out of one of my newer Food Network magazines, and it is dish is nice because you make it all in one pan. Easy clean up!

I bought the ingredients for this recipe about a week and a half (maybe more) before I actually got around to making it, so unfortunately the okra was bad by then. I couldn't find it frozen, so I had bought it fresh. Just pretend in my picture there's okra, haha!

The only thing I intentionally changed was the lime to a lemon. We've found that we just don't like lime juice at all, and lemon tastes great with chicken. So do whatever your family prefers, I'm sure they'd both work great!

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 link andouille sausage, chopped
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 & 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 - 10 oz package frozen whole baby okra, thawed
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• Cut each chicken thigh into quarters, pat dry, and season with salt.
• Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add sausage and cook, stirring, for one minute.
• Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until browned, about four minutes.
• Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is golden all over, about five more minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over chicken and cook, stirring, for one minute.
• Stir in the broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are just tender, about ten minutes.
• Stir in okra and cook, covered, until potatoes and chicken are cooked through, about five to ten more minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.

Chickpea Chicken-Noodle Soup

I've been wanting to make my own chicken noodle soup lately so I searched through all of my winter Food Network Magazines and found this one. We had it on a night my dad was over for dinner and everyone liked it. Even my kids picked out pieces and ate them :)

It didn't seem as if there was enough liquid in this and I even added a little extra broth (what was left in the last can). It also came out a little thick, so maybe a little extra broth AND a little extra water next time would be better. It's possible I could have just put too much pasta in it though! The great thing about this recipe is it's really one you can add ingredients to your liking, so I'll give you the original. Also, we really don't like cooked tomatoes, so instead of tomatoes we put celery. It was great!

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz spaghetti, broken into small pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 - 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into pieces

• Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. 
• Add spaghetti and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted (about 2 minutes).
• Add carrot, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and half of the cilantro. Cook, stirring, until spices are toasted (about 1 minute).
• Add chicken broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, water, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until spaghetti is just tender (about 8 minutes).
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the soup, simmer until cooked through (about 2 minutes).
• Add remaining cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Dijon-Tarragon Chicken with Rice Pilaf

This dish is one of our new favorite chicken dishes! Dijon and chicken always makes a great combo and this definitely was no exception! 

I had a hard time finding the crème fraîche, in fact I didn't actually find it. I ran in to my mom on the way out of the store and mentioned I hadn't found it, but found a recipe for it so I was going to try to make my own. She called me a few minutes later saying she had found it and bought it for me. She said it was in a refrigeration case of specialty items by the wine and cheese (at Yoke's). Weird, because it's dairy... but oh well!

There were a couple of things that just made this recipe not work for me (or take forever), so I changed them in the directions. The first being that after the whole meal was done, my rice pilaf was really cold (even though I'd kept it covered) because the directions had you cook that first. It was done 30 minutes before the chicken! I decided to reorder the directions a little so hopefully it's not (as) cold by the time the chicken is done. The second being that if I had left the chicken whole (like the original directions said) it would have taken forever to cook in the skillet, so I cut it in to pieces before I cooked it, instead of after. 

3 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup broken spaghetti pieces

1 cup long-grain white rice

Salt & pepper

3 cups chicken stock, divided

1/4 lb haricots verts (thin green beans), stemmed and halved

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 large shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup crème fraîche

3-4 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

• In a small saucepan, bring an inch or two of water to a boil. 
• Add the haricots verts and cook until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Cut the chicken in to 2-3 inch pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden (about 12 minutes).
• Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• While chicken is cooking, melt 2 Tbsp butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add pasta and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the rice and 2 & 1/4 cup stock. Cover and lower the heat and simmer until tender.
• Fluff with a fork and keep warm.
• To the chicken skillet, add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and remaining butter. Heat until foaming.
• Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the wine, cook for 2 minutes, stir in the remaining 3/4 cup stock, crème fraîche, tarragon, and mustard.
• Add the chicken and green beans to the sauce in the pan.
• Serve with the pilaf.

Flemish Beef Stew

With it getting cold, I've really felt like making soup or something lately. I found this stew recipe online and thought I'd give it a try. I've found a few more recipes I'll be trying in the near future too :)

The only thing I'd change next time we make it is maybe put some more veggies in it and possibly add potatoes. It felt like there was really a lot of meat and not a whole lot of anything else.

This can be prepared a head of time, such as the night before, if you want to just throw it in the pot in the morning and go. There is about 30-45 minutes of work to do before you can turn the slow cooker on, so for those that have to leave for work in the morning, it may be a good option.

4 tsp canola oil, divided
2 lbs bottom round, trimmed of fat and cut in to 1-inch cubes
3/4 lb sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups brown ale or dark beer
4 large carrots, peeled and cut in to 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 & 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp caraway seeds
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf

• Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the beef and brown all sides, turning frequently, about five minutes.
• Transfer to slow cooker, drain any fat from the pan.
• Add remaining 2 tsp oil to skillet and brown remaining beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Return the skillet to medium heat, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until they give off their liquid and it evaporates in to a glaze, about 5-7 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, cook undisturbed for 10 seconds, stir and cook for 30 more seconds.
• Pour in ale, bring to a boil, whisking constantly to reduce foaming, until thickened and bubbling, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the mushroom mixture to the slow cooker.
• Add carrots, onion, garlic, mustard, caraway seeds, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to the cooker. Stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on low until the beef is very tender, about 8 hours.
• Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Spaghetti with Bacon and Artichokes

This dish was definitely something new for us. If I had been picking, I would not have picked this... but my husband saw it and wanted to try it so I went for it. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I guess this should be a lesson that I shouldn't eat with my eyes, haha!

I had a hard time finding the pecorino-romano cheese (and couldn't find the caciocavallo at all). I ended up finding it at a local grocery story that sells more specialty items, Yoke's. I'm glad the lady in the cheese section helping me told me that it was really strong. She suggested not going by the measurements in the recipe, rather going by taste. So instead of the 1/2 cup, I sprinkled some on top and then grated some in to a bowl that I sat at the table for people to sprinkle on their servings themselves.

Last, we decided to double the amount of bacon in the dish. We really like meat and dishes without a lot of meat seem weird to us. I think it was a good choice. So with both this and the cheese, just go by what you like and I'm sure it will be fine!

Salt & Pepper
1 lb bucatini pici or spaghetti
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4-1/3 lb chunk guanciale, pancetta, or center-cut bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups thawed frozen artichoke hearts or 1 can (14 oz) drained and chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated caciocavallo or pecorino-romano, plus more for serving
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt.
• Add the pasta and cook until al denta.
• Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chosen meat and cook until fat is rendered, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onion and garlic, season with pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in wine, stock, add artichoke hearts, and cook to heat through.
• Season with salt and lower heat to low.
• Stir the reserved pasta water in to sauce, add pasta, cheese, parsley, and toss.
• Serve in shallow bowls and pass more cheese at the table.

Chicken in Garlic-Almond Sauce

This recipe got mixed reviews in our household. My husband wasn't a huge fan, but I liked it and the kids liked it. They refuse to eat anything with sauce, but the chicken is cooked in the sauce so I figured that was good enough :)

The only thing I'll say about this recipe is it's probably not a bad idea to leave out the saffron. For one, it's expensive. I found 1-oz tins ranging from $65 to 138.50 on Amazon. I purchased mine from a local grocery store, 0.01 oz for about $11 (if you do the math that is about $1100 per oz, yikes!). On top of that, I think it stinks horribly! It does give the dish it's beautiful yellow hue, so don't be alarmed if you leave it out and the dish is not yellow.

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups, 1/2" cubes crust-less white bread
4 garlic cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cups dry Sherry or white wine
1/2 tsp saffron threads (optional)
Kosher salt
4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
1 onion, minced
1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

• Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and stir until golden brown.
• Transfer almonds to paper towels and place 1/3  in blender or food processor. Set aside remaining for garnish.
• Add bread cubes and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp.
• Transfer to processor. Add brother, Sherry, 1/2 tsp pepper, saffron, and large pinch of salt.
• Process until almost smooth and set aside.
• Heat remaining Tbsp olive oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Add to skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to the pot, cook stirring often until onion is caramelized at edges.
• Add sauce and chicken to pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce to low.
• Simmer until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Divide chicken and sauce among bowls, garnish each serving with reserved almonds and chopped parsley.

Cottage Pie

I found this recipe in the my newest Taste of Home magazine... I noticed it because it was with an article about Jane Leeves (Daphne from Fraiser). I've always wondered what shepherd's pie (I'm assuming shepherd's and cottage are the same thing? Correct me if I'm wrong!) was, so I decided to give it a whirl!

The final dish felt like there needed to be a little more flavor in the meat. My husband agreed so I started brainstorming what it was missing. I still had a lot of bacon bits left from the meatloaf earlier this week so on a whim I decided to throw that on top of my second helping. It was perfect! So next time I make this I think I'll sprinkle some bacon bits on top or mix them in with the mashed potatoes before it's cooked.

I kind of had to improvise on this recipe because I don't have a dutch oven. I cooked the meat mixture on the stove top in a large covered skillet. I don't have a deep dish 9 inch pie pan either, so I used a 9x13 glass dish which was just the right size! Also, the original recipe only calls for turkey, but in the description it says you can use beef, turkey, or lamb. We decided to do a mixture.

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground beef
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 & 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (milk and butter added), warm
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

• In a dutch oven cook the meat, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain.
• Stir in flour, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until blended.
• Add broth, cook and stir until broth is absorbed.
• Stir in peas, heat through.
• Transfer to a greased 9-in deep-dish pie plate.
• Top with mashed potatoes and cheese (if desired).
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until filling is bubbly.

Mix & Match Meatloaf

This was a really fun recipe my husband found in Food Network Magazine. He really likes meatloaf so I'm always looking for new versions to try. This recipe is a mix-and-match recipe so you can choose what you like!

I placed an asterisk next to the ingredients we chose for our meatloaf, since we know that was good! For our bacon bits we bought the large bag of bacon bits out at Costco so instead of putting strips of bacon on top of the loaf I sprinkled more bits on top. Post in the comments what combos you guys try. Did you like it? Did you wish you had tried something different?

Meat
Choose 1 & 1/2 lbs from the meats listed, any combo:
*Ground beef*
*Ground turkey*
Ground veal
*Ground pork*

Binder
Choose 1 cup from the binders below, choose one:
Breadcrumbs
Instant rice (uncooked)
Cornflakes
Crackers or *croutons*, crushed
Fine bulgur (uncooked)
Oats
Instant potato flakes (only 1/2 cup)
Quick-cooking barley (uncooked, only 1/2 cup)

Vegetable
Choose 1-2 cups from the vegetables below, choose one:
*Carrots*, shredded
Spinach, frozen chopped then thawed and squeezed dry
Swiss chard or kale, finely chopped
Bell peppers, finely chopped
Mushrooms, finely chopped
Zucchini, shredded and squeezed dry
Celery, finely chopped and sauteed

Herbs
Choose 2 Tbsp of the herbs below, any combo:
Parsley
*Chives*
*Basil*
Thyme

Mix-In (Optional)
Choose 1/2 cup, pick up to two:
Raisins or prunes, chopped
Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
*Cooked bacon*, chopped
Pickles or gherkins, chopped
Canned green chilis or pickled jalapenos, chopped
Walnuts, chopped
Roasted red peppers, chopped
*Shredded cheese* (up to 1 cup)

Remaining Ingredients
The rest of these ingredients go in the meatloaf regardless of the other ingredients you chose:
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2 eggs
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place each of the chose ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix with hands until just combined.
• Shape in to 9 x 5 inch oval loaf and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Top with strips of bacon, if desired.
• Bake about half way, approximately 30 minutes.
• Brush top and sides with a glaze (recipes listed below) and continue baking approximately another 25 minutes. Thermometer in center of loaf should read 160 degrees.
• Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Glazes

Classic: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

*Garlic-Herb*: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 grated garlic clove, and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.

Spicy BBQ: Mix 1/4 BBQ sauce, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp chipotle chile powder, and 1 tsp cider vinegar.

Tangy: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 Tbsp apricot preserves, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, and 1 tsp ground ginger.

Oven-Fried Ranch Chicken

I'd never made any sort of fried chicken before, so this was a first for us. We found this recipe in a southern supper part of a Food Network magazine and it looked too tempting to pass up. It was absolutely fantastic and is now one of our favorite chicken dishes.

We're not big fans of chicken on the bone so instead of using whole chickens we used boneless skinless breasts and thighs. It made the prep so much faster and easier than it might have been had we used whole chickens too.

Note that part of this dish has to be prepared at least three hours ahead of time.

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 & 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
2 - 2 to 3 lb chickens, each cut in to 8 pieces
3 & 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, preferably panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
Fresh ground black pepper

• Whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, half the thyme, 1 tsp paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl.
• Add chicken and toss to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight).
• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line two baking sheets with foil and set a wire rack on each (I used my cookie cooling racks). Coat each with cooking spray.
• Combine breadcrumbs, chives, remaining thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from marinade and dredge in breadcrumbs.
• Place dark and white meat on separate racks, skin side up. Coat chicken with cooking spray.
• Place dark meat on bottom rack and bake until crust is golden and thermometer in thickest part of meat reaches 165 degrees, about 50-55 minutes.
• Let cool on wire racks, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

Because we used boneless skinless thighs rather than boned pieces we had fewer pieces and it cooked a little faster. We only used one rack and placed it in the center of the oven. It only took about 35 minutes to cook. I also turned the chicken about half way through to keep the panko from burning.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

I prefer red potatoes, so when I saw this recipe in Food Network Magazine I had to try it! I made it with dinner while my parents were over and we all agreed they could pass for restaurant smashed potatoes... that amazing!

My only tip is don't turn away from the half-and-half while you're heating it, even for a second! I turned to check the temperature on our meatloaf and when I turned around it had already boiled over, and it was only on medium heat.

3 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled

1 Tbsp, plus 2 tsp kosher salt

1 & 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1/4 lb)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• Put potatoes and 1 Tbsp salt in 4 qt saucepan with cold water to cover. 
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for about 25-35 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Drain.
• In small saucepan heat half-and-half and butter.
• Blend potatoes with electric mixer on low to break up.
• Slowly add hot cream and butter to potatoes, mixing on lowest speed.
• Fold in sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Stove Top Lasagna

I made my husband help me go through magazines and pick meals this week, this was one he chose. It's from a Food Network magazine and it was great! It's super fast and easy and you don't have to do any prep work ahead of time.

A lot of meals this week were a mixture of multiple ground meats (including this one) so I bought pork and turkey in bulk from Costco (we already have ground beef from a cow we bought at the fair). I separated them in to approximately 1 lb bags and stuck the leftover in the freezer so I don't have to buy meat quite so often! I like to buy their prepackaged chicken as well, comes in packs of 6 with each pack holding enough chicken for two people.

Kosher salt

7 lasagna noodles

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzle)

1 lb ground meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal)

2 cups tomato sauce

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cups baby spinach

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

6 Tbsp grated parmesan, divided

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

• Preheat the broiler.
• Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dented (about 11 minutes).
• Drain, transfer to a cutting board, and halve crosswise.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add ground meat, and cook stirring until browned.
• Add tomato sauce and red pepper flakes, let simmer about five minutes.
• Add spinach and stir until it wilts.
• Add ricotta and bring to a low simmer.
• Season with salt and remove from heat.
• Toss mozarella and 4 Tbsp parmesan in a bowl.
• Cover bottom of an 8 inch baking dish with layer of noddles. Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of noddles, remaining meat sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover with remaining noodles and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp parmesan.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil and broil until golden and bubbling, about 3-5 minutes. Top with basil.

Oops, I forgot the basil, oh well!

Caramel Apples

A guy my husband works with took a few vacation days to go apple picking (yeah, he seriously makes GOOD money doing that!) and brought some back. He gave a bag to us so we had a ton of apples to figure out what to do with. We decided to go with caramel apples! The day we decided to do this, my husband came home with more apples too... looks like there might be some apple pie or something in the future as well :)

I got this recipe after seeing a picture for caramel apples in my recent Taste of Home magazine. They had the recipe on their site.

First, make sure your candy thermometer is reading the right temperature. You can do this by boiling a pot of water and putting the thermometer in it. It should read 212 degrees. If it doesn't, adjust the temperature in the recipe accordingly. Example: my thermometer read 205 in boiling water, so the final temperature of 248 should actually read 241. (This is one of those times that I seriously wonder why we don't use the metric system here... water boils at 212F or 100C, freezes at 32F and 0C... firm ball candy is 248F or 120C)

Second, even with our first apple, the dip wasn't quite deep enough in the pan. Maybe doubling this recipe or using a pan that isn't too wide would help with that.

1/2 cup butter, cubed

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Dash of salt

1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

10-12 popsicle sticks

10-12 apples

Desired toppings (nuts should be chopped)

• Wash and dry apples, remove stems, and insert popsicle sticks into top.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter.
• Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.
• Stir in milk, cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm-ball stage).
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Dip each apple in to hot caramel mixture, turn to coat.
• Dip bottom in desired topping.
• Place on greased wax paper or parchment paper until set.

Chicken with Arugula Pesto

I found this recipe in one of my Food Network magazines. Originally I bought all of the correct items and was going to make it exactly as the recipe read... but by the time I got around to making it half of the food wasn't looking too great so I threw it out and winged it with what I had, haha. On top of that, I was in a hurry trying to do 100 things at once so I kind of changed how this is cooked so my hands would be free for other things. I'll give you the original recipe and then tell you what I changed!

Kosher salt
6 ounces orecchiette
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in to pieces
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley
2 Tbsp almons or hazelnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp water
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 tsp whole-wheat breadcrumbs

• Bring pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook as directed on the box. About three minutes before pasta is done add the green beans.
• Drain pasta and beans and rinse under cold water. Toss with half of cheese, 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, and salt.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Puree the arugula, parsley, nuts, lemon juice, water, remaining cheese, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and salt to taste in food processor. Transfer to a boil.
• Pound chicken to about 1/2 inch thick, transfer to foil lined baking sheet and season with salt. Rub all over with 1/4 cup of pesto and broil, turning once, until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side).
• Arrange tomatoes, cut side up on another baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes. Spread with pesto and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Broil until golden (about one more minute).
• Serve chicken, tomatoes, and pasta with remaining pesto.

Ok, as you can see, this doesn't really look like the instructions say it should! My husband doesn't like tomatoes so we didn't use those and the green beans were looking pretty bad so I ended up using the broccoli we had. I also made a couple more changes!

• We couldn't find orecchiette so I ended up buying shells since they were kind of similar. I could not find plain arugula either. All the store had was a pack of arugula and spinach together, so the pesto is actually arugula and spinach.
• I preheated the oven to 375 degrees and cooked the chicken (we like to use both breast and thighs) for about 30 minutes while I prepared the rest of the meal. I did not pound it flat before I cooked it either.
• I threw some lemon juice in the pasta mix to add a little flavor.
• Then as things were getting close to done I put the pesto on top of the chicken and topped with the bread crumbs (we used panko instead) and some almonds and switched to the broiler. I left it in for another 5-10 minutes, or until it started turning golden brown on top.

My only tip is to be careful with the salt. For some reason it seems when I cook with Kosher salt things get saltier way faster and pesto is one of those things we've noticed seems to be too salty! I dialed it waaaay back for this meal and it was a lot better than it has been in the past.

Chocolate Torte

This is a dessert that has always been made for family gatherings or camping. I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from, I just always remember my mom having it. When I was little I used to like to take a piece and mix it all up in my bowl and eat it that way :)

When you go to buy the ingredients, make sure you get instant pudding. I don't know how, but I've managed to get the pudding you have to cook, not once, but twice!

Crust
1 & 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together and press in to bottom of 9 x 13 pan.
• Bake for 15 minutes and let cool.

Topping

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

12 oz cool whip

2 small packages chocolate instant pudding

3 cups milk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.
• Mix pudding and milk until soft set. Spread over cream cheese mixture.
• Cover with remaining cool whip and sprinkle with walnuts.

Banana Bars

An old neighbor gave me this recipe. It is an absolutely fantastic recipe. When my husband saw I was making it for the trip, his response was "Yeah, but what is everyone else going to eat?!" Haha :) It is always a favorite wherever we take it!

In my picture you'll notice I made it in a 10 x 14 pan. I did this because my oven isn't big enough to fit the pan called for in the recipe. It works both ways, so make whatever you prefer. The larger pan makes them pretty thin, but also means it makes "more" bars.

Bars
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium sized ripe bananas

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together the butter and sugar until creamy.
• Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and blend.
• Add flour, baking soda, and salt and blend.
• Blend in mashed bananas.
• Pour in to greased 10 x 15 x 1 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla

3 & 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar

• Blend all ingredients together adding powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
• Top cooled cake and refrigerate.

Macaroni Salad

My mom has made this side dish for a few BBQs or family gatherings. It is fantastic, so for a recent trip I had to get the recipe from her. It was in one of her cookbooks, a church potluck collection.

Note that this recipe is HUGE! I halved it and still filled that bowl in my picture. Unless you literally need to feed an army, I would suggest always halving it. I will leave the recipe it's original size because it leaves some of the numbers a little more round.

The one thing I found difficult was actually finding the pimientos. I wasn't sure exactly what they were, let alone where in the store to find them. I knew they had something to do with olives (turns out they are the red things stuffed in green olives). In our local store I found them on the same area as the canned olives and peppers in a short little jar. Also, I purchased the ham already cooked and diced in the meat section of the grocery store.

2 lbs uncooked elbow macaroni
12 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2.5 lbs cubed fulled cooked ham
16 oz frozen peas, thawed
3 cups sliced celery
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz diced pimientos, drained
4 cups mayonnaise

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• Place in large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I made these cookies for a bachelorette party a couple of weeks ago. You can see the recipe for the cookies and the poured icing here: Sugar Cookies with Poured Icing

Because I wanted them to be a little more decorated, I had to find a good icing for piping. I had never piped icing before so I looked up a few recipes online and kind of made up my own. I wanted an icing with some flavor in it, but I couldn't find any that used meringue powder, which is what I had. So I used this base recipe and replaced some of the water with some vanilla extract.

3 Tbsp meringue powder
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
6 Tbsp water (replace some with vanilla, lemon, or other extract for flavoring)

• Beat all ingredients together on low for 7-10 minutes or until low peaks form.
• Keep frosting covered with a wet towel as it dries out very quickly!

The pink frosting is the poured frosting and the grey is the royal. I piped the edge grey, poured the pink in, and then did the decorating after the top of the pink had set up a little bit.

If you can't tell, they're booty shorts and bras :)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the chocolate issue of my Food Network Magazine, they had a section on chocolate chip cookies. It included recipes for crispy, chewy, crispy-cakey, and cakey cookies. I know I've already posted two other chocolate chip cookie recipes, but each is so different, and everyone likes their cookies a specific way, so I thought I would include this one.

These still turned out flat, although I did not chill the dough before cooking (I had the munchies and didn't have the patience to do so). Either way, my husband said they were still his favorite of all three homemade recipes I've used so far.

2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 & 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 & 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
• Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium high until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. 
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture, beating until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips by hand, press plastic wrap directly on to surface of dough, and refrigerate at least one hour, preferably overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place on baking sheets about two inches apart and bake until cookies are golden around edges but still soft in the middle, about 12 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the sheets then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Spicy Pineapple Chicken with Rice & Peas

This is another recipe my husband picked out for this week. It was spicier than I expected, but the spiciness was in the sauce so if you don't like it you could leave that off. We left it off of our kids' plates and it worked perfectly for all of us!

3 Tbsp honey mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
1 & 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup rice
2/3 cup frozen peas
6 oz pineapple juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a bowl, mix together honey mustard, chili powder, 1 tsp salt and ginger.
• Coat the chicken in mustard mixture and place in foil lined baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until coated.
• Add 1 & 1/3 cup water and 1/2 salt, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
• Remove rice from heat, add peas, cover and steam until heated through.
• Transfer chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve the juices.
• Pour reserved juices in to saucepan with pineapple juice and cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until thickened and reduced to a thin glaze, about five minutes.
• Drizzle the chicken with the sauce and serve over the rice.

Cajun Mac & Cheese

My husband picked a lot of our recipes for this week, and he loves pasta... specifically mac & cheese! He said this was really good! I'm not a huge pasta fan, but I thought it was pretty good too.

The only thing I would change about this dish is I would probably add more of each filler to it (bell peppers, scallions, and especially the andouille sausage). I like to have at least one of each thing in every bite, especially the meat. Also, make sure you use a VERY large skillet, I used my largest and had a hard time keeping the pasta from spilling while tossing it at the end.

Kosher salt
12 oz wagon-wheel pasta
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz andouille sausage, diced
2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 Tbsp Cajun spice blend
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, diced

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (about 1 minute less than box directions).
• Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, combine olive oil and sausage in large skillet over high heat and cook until sausage starts to brown (about two minutes). Stir in scallions and bell peppers and cook until slightly soft (about three more minutes).
• Add Cajun spice and flour and cook for two more minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue until the sauce is thick and smooth (about five more minutes).
• Add the pasta, cheese, and reserved water to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, tossing to coat the pasta and melt the cheese (about one minute).

Molten Lava Cakes

Yay, this is my 100th recipe post!

I was perusing my magazines for some dinner recipes and came across this in the Food Network chocolate issue! There are quite a few other recipes in there that look good, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more :)

I made these for myself and my husband and gave two to my mom for Mother's Day. I will note that I did overcook them a little bit, so they weren't as molten as they should have been. I kept looking at them in the oven and the top just didn't look done enough! While they were done on the outside, they were pretty molten in the middle still. Next time I make them I'll cook them less and take another picture.

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins

4 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of nutmeg

12 oz semisweet chocolate

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 & 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

6 large eggs plus 6 egg yolks

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Butter 8 - 6 oz ramekins and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar.
• Combine butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, confectioners' sugar, eggs and yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl until creamy. Whisk in the chocolate mixture.
• Divide among prepared ramekins.
• Bake until tops are stuff and edges darken, about 12-14 minutes.
• Remove and let cool 5 minutes.
• Loosen edges of cakes with small paring knife and transfer to plates while warm. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

 I apologize for the smudges at the top of these two pictures... I didn't realize it until after I had cut the cake open, but one of my little ones had gotten their fingers on the lense and left finger prints all over it ;) Next time I make this I'll get some better pictures!

Sweet-and-Spicy Meatloaves

My husband has been asking for me to make him meatloaf since we've been together and I finally got around to it last night. I'd never made any sort of meatloaf, nor had I eaten any. Something about eating a huge lump of ground beef just never sounded really appealing to me. I was pleasantly surprised! My husband raved on and on about how great it was :)

The only change I'll make next time is making more of the topping to serve on the side.

Meatloaf
2 slices whole-grain sandwich bread, torn in to pieces
1/2 small onion, quartered
1 medium carrot, quartered
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp peach chutney or apricot jam

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Pulse the bread in a food processor until finely ground, transfer to a large bowl.
• Pulse the onion and the carrot in the food processor until finely chopped, transfer to the bowl with bread and add the turkey, beef, egg, curry powder, salt, and pepper.
• Mix by hand until just combined. Shape into four oblong loaves and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
• Mix the ketchup and chutney in small bowl and brush over the meatloaves. Bake until baked through, about 20 minutes.

Side
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 head broccoli, florets cut into pieces, stem thinly sliced
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp curry powder

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the potatoes and cook about four minutes.
• Add the broccoli and cook another six minutes.
• Drain and toss with olive oil and curry powder.
• Serve with meatloaves.

Cupcake Brownies

These are another of the cupcakes I made for my friend's bake sale. You can see the other two here: Chocolate Peanut Butter and PB&J .

These are basically brownies in a cupcake shape. Kind of neat for to-go brownies, maybe for a party or travel! I'm sure you could use the same idea with boxed brownies if you don't feel like making them from scratch :) I left the nuts out because I know a lot of people are picky about nuts.

1 cup butter or margarine

4 - 1 oz squares semisweet chocolate

1 & 3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line 18 muffin tins with paper muffin cups.
• In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Cool for ten minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture.
• Stir in flour and nuts.
• Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

PB&J Cupcakes

First, I have to start by mentioning a blog award I got from Kelly at Today Was a Fairytale :) Thanks Kelly! You can see my blog post about it here, Liebster Award.

A friend of mine had a bake sale for a fundraiser and I offered to help make cupcakes! I made three different kinds. These, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes, and Cupcake Brownies. She raised $150! Nice job Sarah :)

Cupcakes

1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp strawberry extract

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line 18 muffin tins with paper baking cups.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
• Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add egg, strawberry extract and continue beating. Beat in milk and buttermilk, then jam. The batter should be purple.
• Slowly stir flour mixture in to the batter mixture until evenly combined.
• Pour batter in to prepared baking cups.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
• In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Mix in 2 cups of confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in 1/4 cup milk, gradually add remaining sugar. If frosting is too dry, add 1 Tbsp of milk.
• Frost cooled cupcakes.

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from a neighbor years ago and have been meaning to make it for my family for quite some time. It's great because it is something you can make out of food you can store, so it's not something you need fresh items from the grocery store for.
The original recipe calls for a can of stewed tomatoes (undrained) instead of salsa, but my husband does not like tomatoes, and I don't like them cooked so I made a last minute substitution with the salsa I found in our fridge! An added benefit was the salsa gave it a little spice :)

1 lb ground beef
Taco seasoning
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 cup salsa
Sour cream
Corn chips
Tortillas
Cheese

• Brown ground beef and season with taco seasoning according to packaging.
• Combine corn (undrained) with both cans of beans (rinsed), salsa, and browned beef in a large pot.
• Heat over medium heat until and let simmer.
• Serve with sour cream, chips, cheese and tortillas as desired.

Dijon-Tarragon Chicken

I got this recipe out of a Rachel Ray magazine. We had some frozen chicken I wanted to get rid of and slow cooker dishes are my favorite way to use frozen chicken with very little work. This dish is a fabulous dish for a day you know you'll have a little time in the evening, but still don't want to do a lot of work. Most of the work is done in the morning with a little bit left right before you eat. The chicken literally falls apart when you touch it, it's wonderful!

Morning/Afternoon
1/2 cup & 2 Tbsp chicken broth
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
4 lbs chicken
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

• Pour broth in to slow cooker.
• In small bowl, combine mustard, 1 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
• Rub chicken with mustard and place in slow cooker.
• Top with garlic and tarragon.
• Cover and cook on low for about five hours.

Evening
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 lemon
1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

• Transfer chicken to a serving plate and cover to keep warm.
• Strain pan juices into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.
• In a small bowl, combine the cream and cornstarch. Whisk into the saucepan and cook until thickened.
• Stir in juice from the lemon and pour over the chicken.
• Top the chicken with tarragon, parsley, and zest from lemon.

Glazed Pork Loin

Last time I made a meal with pork loin all I could find was a cut about 2 feet long and about 4 inches wide. I ended up cutting that in to three pieces and freezing the two I didn't use. I used one of the frozen pieces from that to make this meal. I stuck it in the slow cooker, frozen rock hard and it turned out fabulous! Incredibly tender even. I'm not sure if that's exactly the cut of meat they mean by pork loin, but that is what I used...

The original recipe was found in Every Day with Rachel Ray. I made a few changes to make it fit our day and our family which included moving it from the oven to the slow cooker and changing the vegetables that went with it.

1 & 1/2 lbs pork loin
Salt & Pepper
4 Tbsp grainy mustard
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 lbs red potatoes
4 sprigs thyme
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

• Season pork all over with salt and pepper. Place in center of slow cooker.
• In small bowl, mix together vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Brush over pork.
• Cut potatoes in to quarters and scatter around pork, sprinkle with oil, any remaining mustard glaze, salt, pepper, and stir to coat. Sprinkle with sprigs of thyme.
• Cover and cook on a medium to low setting for 6 to 8 hours.

Sage Pork Chops

First, I'm putting this under fast/easy, but note it does take a bit to cook. The prep time is very minimal though, so I thought it fit under this category well enough!

I finally managed to get back in to a cooking mood. It's been a while since we've eaten much at home, so I made myself sit down and make a grocery list. We hadn't had pork chops in a while, and I wanted to make something we'd never had before, so I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. The original was definitely WAY too salty, so I've adjusted the recipe to account for that. I also felt that while good, the chops were a little dry, so I adjusted the time too.

1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp ground black pepper
6 pork chops
2 Tbsp butter (we used extra virgin olive oil)
1 cup water
2 cubes beef bouillon

• Combine the salt, sage, and pepper. Rub on both sides of each pork chop.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet and brown the pork chops (approx 5 minutes on each side).
• Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, bring water and bouillon to a boil.
• Pour bouillon mixture in with pork chops, cover, and let simmer for approximately 20 minutes on medium or until tender and cooked through.

Spice Doodles

I've been trying to make new different cookies every week or so. I've managed to find some great recipes in the last few weeks! This week I tried something that looked similar to my snicker doodles. After eating them, they tasted almost exactly the same as well. The only thing that I could tell was different was the spice on the outside.

I had a hard time finding pumpkin pie spice, and I'm not sure if this is something that can be purchased all year round. If you can't find it, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice = 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp ground allspice (or ground cloves), and 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 & 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• In large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with mixer on medium for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined.
• Beat in egg and vanilla until combined, beat in flour with mixer until too stiff and mix remaining by hand.
• If necessary, cover and chill dough for about 1 hour, or until easy to handle.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
• Shape dough in to 1 inch balls, roll in sugar mixture, and place on cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Unfortunately, I swear I took a picture of them with my phone, but it doesn't seem to be there. When I make these again, I'll be sure to get a picture and get it up here. In the mean time, here is a link to my snickerdoodle recipe... they look the same: Snickerdoodles

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

This dessert looked so pretty, I just couldn't pass it up! I got it out of my cookie cook book (it has a section called "unbeatable bars"). Everyone loved them!
We prefer sweeter chocolate. Chocolate dishes made with unsweetened are a little too rich for us so I made this with all semisweet chocolate.
Brownie Layer
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
Cheesecake Layer
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp flour
1 & 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp sugar

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
• For brownie layer, in medium saucepan, stir and heat chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Whisk in sugar then eggs, one at a time.
• Whisk in vanilla and salt then stir in flour until just combined.
• Spread batter evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
• For cheesecake layer, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until combined.
• Beat in lemon juice, egg, and vanilla until just combined. Beat in flour.
• Spread mixture evenly over brownie layer, top with raspberries, and sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp sugar.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is puffed and golden. Cool in pan on wire rack then chill, covered, for at least six hours.
• Cut in to bars and serve cold or at room temperature.

Praline Sweet Potatoes

This is a holiday dish that my aunt makes every year. I'm not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but everyone else loves it! We've always doubled the topping on this recipe.

Filling
2 large cans yams, drained
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
Topping
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine all filling ingredients together with a blender. Spread in bottom of 9 x 13 pan.
• For topping, in small saucepan, melt butter.
• Add remaining ingredients and cook until well mixed.
• Spoon over top of sweet potato mixture.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes.