Danielle's Yummy Cookies

A dear friend shared this wonderful cookie recipe with me.

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (unpacked)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup Heath English Toffee Bits (Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits)
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

In a different bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture beating at low speed after each addition.

Once the dough is ready; stir in the nuts, chocolate toffee bits and miniature chips.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the paper 2-inches apart.

Bake at 350 F for 7-10 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown.

Rest in cookie sheets for 1 minute and immediately remove to cookie racks.

Makes 50 small cookies

Rosemary Garlic Marinade (For Chicken)

1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground  black pepper
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or some more if you desire)
4 ounces prepared garlic (1/2 cup minced)
1/8 tespoon ground turmeric (optional)

Mix all the ingredients. Marinade 8-10 lbs chicken pieces for 4 hours or overnight.

Toffee Pecan Cookies

1 box Butter Pecan cake mix
1/2 bag toffee bits or Heath
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/2 stick butter, softened

Mix the cake mix, butter, eggs and water; beat with a hand mixer.

Stir in the toffee chips and pecans and combine with a wooden spoon.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop the cookie dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart.

Bake in a preheated 350 F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let it reat for 1 minute and then, transfer to a cooling rack.

The Best Sloppy Joes

www.melskitchencafe.com




2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup BBQ sauce (We like Famous Dave's Sweet and Zesty)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8-12 potato rolls

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the grease of the meat and onions. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated.

Add the BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened about 4-5 minutes. You can make the Sloppy Joe meat up to 2 days in advanced and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.

Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Serve the Sloppy Joes hot with the warm rolls.

Note: This meat can be frozen. Freeze the Sloppy Joe meat in a freezer-safe container and then thaw it in the refrigerator prior to serving. Reheat on medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Home-made Apple Pie Spice Recipe

www.cdkitchen.com

1 1/2 teaspoons groung nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Store, tightly covered in a cool dry place.

Makes 2 tablespoons

Apple Pie Waffles

6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups Bisquick Mix
2-2 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup finely chopped Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored

Mix the dry ingredients in a a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix it altogether. Use 1/4 measuring cup per waffle. Cook as directed on waffle maker.

Serve with syrup and whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon (optional)

Makes 12 waffles

For a home-made APPLE PIE SPICE recipe, look on condiments, please.

Pan de Yuca (Tapioca Bread)

1 cup tapioca starch or tapioca flour (almidon de yuca Goya brand or yuca harina Colombiana brand)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2- 2 cups Italian cheese blend
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus 1 pinch salt, optional)
water (milk or whipping cream if needed).

Mix all the ingredients adding some liquid if needed until the dough is very flexible.

Make balls the size of a walnut and place on an ungreased baking sheet 2-inches apart.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: Very good if served with smoothies.

Ecuadorian Humitas

Maybe not the traditional way to make Ecuadorian humitas because we do not use cornmeal in Ecuador but in my opinion, it is the right way to make them in order to have a great outcome in USA since the corn is a little bit different here.

www.kraft.com

                                Before steaming

6 fresh ears corn on the cob (with husks)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I use green onions)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon Calumet baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 package (8 ounces) Kraft mozzarella cheese, cut into into 1/2-inch cubes (I use shredded sometimes)
2 cups water (or more...)

Remove green husks and silk from corn, being careful to keep husks whole, Discard silk. Place husks in large pot of boiling water and blanch 1 minute. Remove from water; drain.

Cut kernels off cobs. Place half of the kernels and onion in blender container; cover. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into  large bowl. Place remaining corn kernels, butter, eggs, baking powder and cornmeal in blender container. Cover. Blend until smooth. Add to corn puree in bowl. Stir in cheese. Batter will be thick but not stiff.

Place 2 of the corn husks on work surface, with long sides slightly overlapping. Spoon 1/4 cup of the corn puree onto bottom half of the husks; fold the top of the husks over the filling.  Fold in half from the left side, then fold in half again from the right side. One end of each humita should remain open.  Repeat with 34 of the remaining corn husks and remaining corn puree. Keep folded ends in place by tieing closed with thin strips of the remaining corn husks.

Fill a large pot with two cups of water. Line steamer basket with half of the leftover corn husks; place in pot. Stand the humitas, open ends up, in the basket. Cover with the remaining corn husks. Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low. Steam 30 minutes or until humitas are firm.

Yield: 9 servings (2 humitas each)

Substitute:

dry corn husks could be use instead of the fresh corn husks. Blanch in boiling hot water. Then use as directed.

Note:

I closed both ends of the humitas since I did not have a steamer basket. I place some cobs at the bottom of a deep pan; poured some water just to cover the cobs. Then, I placed a metal baking pan on top of the cobs. The humitas were placed there and I covered the pot with the lid, being very careful that the amount of water did not get into the metal pan and therefore the humitas.

Carolina Shredded Chicken

Family Circle Magazine, June 2010
www.familycircle.com

Chicken

6-8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (I use regular yellow mustard)
6-8 sandwich buns

Heat gas grill to medium-igh or charcoal grill to medium-hot coals.

Chicken: Sprinkle on all sides with seasoned salt and paprika, When grill is ready, place chicken on grill grate. Cook turning once, for 18 minutes or until thigh registers 180 degrees on an instant thermometer.

Meanwhile, prepare Sauce: Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from the grill and allow to cool slightly. With two forks or your hands, shred meat from bones. Add shredded chicken to sauce and heat through. Divide chicken evenly among sandwich buns, a heaping 1/3 cup on each. Serve with coleslaw if desired.

Makes 6-8 sandwiches

Momma Supper Club Tilapia Parmesan Recipe

www.food.com

My husband is NOT a seafood fan at all but he loved this recipe. It reminded me a litle bit of a Tilapia with Butter and Lemon Sauce that they serve at Denny's. This one has Parmesan cheese which makes it way better in my opinion.

2 lbs tilapia fillets (orange roughy, red snapper and cod can be substituted)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (I used fresh chives)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (or Bay Seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

In a buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish or jellyroll pan, lay fillets in a single layer. Do not stack fillets. Brush top with juice.

Combine butter, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, onions and seasonings. Mix well with fork.

Bake fish in preheated oven for 10-20 minutes or until it starts to flake ( I baked the tilapia fillets for 15 minutes).

Spread with cheese mixture and bake until golden brown, 5 minutes (Mine did not brown during the 5 minutes so I broiled the fish until golden brown).

Baking time will depend on the thickness of the fish you use. Watch fish closely so it does not overcook.

Makes 4 servings

Note: This fish can also be made in a broiler.  Broil 3-4 minutes or until almost done. Spread the cheese mixture on top and broil for another 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Home-made Tomato Soup

I got the recipe from the great LDS singer Lauri Carrigan's family blog. Thanks to her mom Diane for suggesting me to give it a try. Great recipe for sure.




1/4 stick butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
4-4 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 teaspoons  sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon curry (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Basil leaves for garnish

Melt butter in pot. Add celery, onions, and carrots. Cook until onions are clear. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, bay leaf and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend it. Mix in rest of ingredients. Strain it to take out the tomato seeds and celery bits and add salt to taste.

Note:

Blend the mixture when it is warm, not hot or it will spill all over because of the steam and heat. Cover the lid with a towel when blending and strain the mixture.

If you want a smoky flavor, roast the tomatoes with some olive oil.

Toasted Pecan Pancakes

Southern Living 1999 Annual Recipes

www.southernliving.com

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 large egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot syrup

Stir the first 9 ingredients; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together the egg, buttermilk and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Pour about 2 tablespoons batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook other side.

Serve with syrup

Yield: 14 small pancakes or 7 pancakes if using 1/4 cup for each pancake as I did.

Sesame Green Beans

1 package (14 oz) frozen Birds' Eye petite whole green beans
Water
Salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
A few drops of sesame oil

Cook the green beans in salted boiling water until crisp tender. Drain and set aside.

In a big skillet, heat the vegetable oil and butter; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the green beans and soy sauce and cook on medium-low for 2 minutes or so. Remove from heat.

Add a few drops of sesame oil and the sesame seeds and stir.

Makes 4-6 servings

Fruit Salad

2 cups grapes
2 Gala or Red delicious apples, unpeeled and diced
1 banana
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained (optional)
1/3-1/2 cup low-fat yogurt vanilla or pina colada yogurt
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecan halves

Mix all the ingredients but the  coconut.

Once the fruit salad is in the serving bowl, sprinkle with coconut. Chill until ready to serve.
Note: You can add peaches, kiwis, berries etc etc etc

Nutella Cookies

My twins love Nutella sandwiches. So, when I saw the picture of some Nutella cookies that my friend Heather Dean Miller posted on her Facebook, I knew these cookies would be a hit with them.

Cream:

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup Nutella

In  a bowl mix:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combine.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop tablespoons of the cookie dought on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 F 7-9 minutes. Cool down for 1 minute and place in wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 32 cookies