Your Cheatin' Cookie-Covered Cookies

Impress your loved ones with this incredibly easy to make cookie for Valentine's. Also, it would be great fun to bake these with the kids!

                                It's What's Inside That Counts!

This rich cookie has a delightful surprise of another cookie tucked inside!

(As adapted from a recipe by Paula Dean as seen on the Food Network)

Approx. 10+ Extra Large Cookies

Ingredients

• One 16.5 oz. roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• Dark chocolate-coated sponge cookie with raspberry fruit filling (or similar small pre-packaged cookie)*
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• Approx. 1/4 c. sliced almonds (or chopped nuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Slice cookie dough into approx. 1/4" slices.
3. For the first layer, on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper, place slices of cookie dough approx. 4" apart.  (The cookies will spread quite a bit).
4. For the second layer, place the chocolate-coated raspberry cookie on top of the first layer of sliced cookie dough; and for the third layer, cover the raspberry cookie with another slice of cookie dough.
5. Brush the top layer of dough with the slightly beaten egg.
6. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with the sliced almonds (or chopped nuts).
7. Bake approximately 16+ minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Watch closely! Enjoy sharing the love and have a Happy Valentine's!

*I found this cookie at my "gourmet grocery", Aldi.

Printable Recipe

                                 This is What Love is All About!

              On February 13th, 2011, Happy 2nd Birthday Grandson!

 

Baking Cookies

Simple Side Salad with Avocado

If you want easy - this is it!  This salad is simple enough for everyday, yet elegant enough for guests.  It would be fantastic with steak or roasted chicken, in addition to many other entrees.

                                     Making Taste Buds Happy!

Ingredients

Per Serving

• 1/2 ripe avocado (sliced lengthwise)
• 5 to 6 grape tomatoes (sliced lengthwise)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Caesar salad dressing

Directions

Lay the sliced avocado in the same direction on a salad plate.  Scatter the sliced tomatoes over the avocado.  Sprinkle with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle with your favorite Caesar salad dressing.  Smile as you serve your salad with ease.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Dixie Girl Makes Yankee Cornbread

My mother was from California and moved South after marrying my father.  She was a great cook and baker, and many of her recipes were of a Southern influence. She never became a full-fledged Southern cook, and she always referred to her cornbread as "Yankee cornbread".  As a  Dixie girl influenced by my mother's recipe, I developed my own "Yankee cornbread".  Just what everyone wants, you'll find this cornbread moist inside and crunchy outside.  A cast-iron skillet is essential in achieving the crunchy crust.  Enjoy it with my Chili with Character~No Beans or Beans and Tailgates!

                                        I'll Have a Piece of That!

Serves 4**

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 c. stone-ground yellow cornmeal (white is fine)
• 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 TB sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 TB baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg (slightly beaten)
• 1 TB plus approx. 1/4 cup* vegetable oil
• 1 & 1/4 c. buttermilk (You can substitute cultured Buttermilk Blend - See my Morning Muffins with Bran and Raspberries for more details on this blend.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the egg, 1 TB vegetable oil* and buttermilk. Mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated.  Let the batter sit while you prepare the skillet.  (You'll see the batter start to rise in the bowl - that's good!)
3. Add enough oil, approx. 1/4 cup*, to a seasoned 8" cast-iron skillet to a depth of approx. 1/4";  using a brush, coat the sides of the skillet with some of the oil. 
4. Heat greased skillet in oven for about 10 minutes or until a drop of cold water sizzles.
5. Handling the hot skillet very carefully with oven mitts, take out of the oven and pour the batter into the skillet.  (You'll notice the edges of the batter start to cook right away.)
6. Place the filled skillet back into the oven and bake for approx. 22 minutes or until firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Carefully remove the cornbread from the oven.  After about 5 minutes, loosen the cornbread from the edges of the pan with a knife and turn out onto a serving plate. Enjoy!

**Tip:  For 8 servings, use a 10" skillet and double the ingredients, except use about 1/3 c. plus 2 TB oil to grease the skillet and bake at 450º for approx. 25 minutes.

Printable Recipe

                                         Pass the Butter Please!

 

Stuffed French Toast with Cream Cheese and Strawberries

You have to try this fabulous-tasting French toast this weekend.  Though it makes the perfect brunch item, you would enjoy it anytime you're in the mood.  It's easy and you would have fun making it with the kids!

                                         A Little Bit of Heaven

Ingredients

Per Serving:

• 2 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
• 2 TB softened Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
  
• 2 TB strawberry preserves

Soak For One to Two Servings:

• l egg
• 2 TB milk
• Dash nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla 

For The Skillet:

• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 1 TB butter (per sandwich)

Directions

1.  The Stuffing:

For each sandwich:  On one slice of bread, spread the 2 TB of softened Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese and then spread the 2 TB of strawberry preserves on top of that, taking care not to spread the stuffing all the way to the edges.  Place another slice of bread on top of the stuffing and pinch the edges of the sandwich together all the way around.

2.   The Soak:

For one to two servings, use an approximate one to one & one-half qt. shallow glass cooking dish and whisk together the ingredients for the soak.  Lay each sandwich in the soak and let the sandwich(es) absorb the egg mixture until wet but not completely soaked.  Carefully lift each sandwich and flip to soak the opposite side of the sandwich(es) just until wet.

 3.   Cooking the Sandwich:

Spray a non-stick skillet with the butter-flavored cooking spray.  Over medium heat, melt 1 TB of butter for each sandwich.  Carefully transfer the sandwich(es) to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on each side.


Enjoy and be prepared to be transported to heaven (for a minute anyway)!

Printable Recipe

Old Fashioned Snow Cream

It's snowing in the Deep South, and my friend Jessie brought over some snow cream she made from the snow - thought you could have some fun with the kids:

Jessie's Recipe for Snow Cream

1 gal. of freshly captured snow
1 TB pure vanilla
1 c. sugar
*milk or half & half

Mix the snow, vanilla and sugar, then add *milk or half & half until you achieve the desired consistency.

Tip:  Although it's best to catch the snow in a bucket, you can scrape the snow off a surface - but, don't use the first layer or the last - use the layer in between.

Printable Recipe

Satisfying Spatzle Casserole With Swiss Cheese

I was inspired to make this classic German dish when I recently ran across the noodles in a specialty grocery store (ok, Aldi). This hearty casserole is good as a winter side dish to beef or poultry, or just served with a salad for lunch. We enjoyed it this week with corned beef brisket and red cabbage.  There are many versions of this side dish, here's mine: 
   
                                         The Perfect Take-Along Dish

Approximately 8 servings

Ingredients

• One 17.6 oz. bag spatzle (Swabian egg noodles)
• 1 TB plus 1 tsp. salt (divided)
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. nutmeg (divided)
  
• 1/4 c. plus 2 TB butter (divided)
• 2 c. chopped onions (frozen are fine)
• 8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese (divided)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.  Add the noodles to the boiling water with a 1 TB of the salt.  Lightly boil for 12 minutes.  Drain in a colander.  
3. Place the noodles in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp. of the nutmeg and gently toss.
4. Melt 1/4 c. of the butter and add to the noodles.  Thoroughly, but gently, toss the butter with the noodles.
5. Saute the onions in the remaining 2 TB of  butter until slightly brown and translucent.
6. Gently mix the onions into the noodle mixture.
7. Spray a 8" x 12" glass baking dish* with a butter-flavored cooking spray.  Spread one-half of the noodle mixture into the dish and sprinkle one-half of the cheese on top.
8. Spread the remaining noodle mixture on top of the first layer and sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top of this.  Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg on top of the cheese.
9. Bake approximately 25 minutes or until hot.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!

*Tip:  If you want to make one-half a recipe, use a one or one & one-half qt. baking dish.  This casserole also freezes well; just thaw before cooking.  

                             Baby It's Cold Outside - Let's Have Spatzle!

Printable Recipe