Don't be a ........chicken?!

I was going to be a "chicken" and not post about this because I didn't like how the photos turned out. BUT this sandwich turned out SO GOOD I decided I had to share it with you. Please excuse my inept ability to photograph panini as beautifully as Panini Kathy! ;)

Yesterday I told you how Grumpy told me I couldn't cook chicken anymore? Well, I truly don't understand it. ;) Really! Everything I made, he ate and liked! Especially the Buffalo Chicken Sausage Paninis!

I was floundering again and hadn't a clue what I wanted to make. I went to my kitchen freezer and checked out the sausages. I had some Buffalo Chicken Sausages. Of course, I think of the Buffalo Chicken Panini I found on Panini Happy and how much I LOVED them. So, I pulled them out and cooked the sausages....to make Buffalo Chicken Sausage Panini!

When Grumpy walked in the house the first words out of his mouth were "what smells so good". HAHA. I will definitely buy these sausages again - and maybe make some sort of pasta dish with them!


Buffalo Chicken Sausage Panini

1 package Buffalo Chicken Sausage
Ken's Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing (If I had crumbly blue cheese - I would have used that, but this worked great too!)
Red Hot Sauce
Caramelized onions
Mozzarella Cheese
Ciabatta buns

Cook sausages until they are done. When cooled slightly, slice sausages in half, then in half again.

While sausages are cooking, heat butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and saute onions for 13 minutes until soft. Stir in some brown sugar and saute for another 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Set aside.

To assemble:
On ciabatta bun place in the following order:

• caramelized onions,
  
• blue cheese
• chicken sausages
• sprinkle red hot sauce to taste
• mozzeralla cheese
• top layer of bun

Place in panini press and cook! Delicious!
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Chipotle Chicken Skillet

Have you ever started to make a dish and then find out you don't have all the ingredients that you thought you had? That is what happened to me last night. I was making a dish that called for a can of diced tomatoes. I always have diced tomatoes in my cupboard.....or so I thought!

While searching through my cupboard for the diced tomatoes I did come across a can of diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers. I set it aside. No way was that going to work. My recipe called for balsalmic vinegar and I couldn't mix balsalmic vinegar and chipotle!

After more digging I finally realized I had to change my plan . The chicken was already in the pan cooking....so I decided what the heck. I'll use the tomatoes with chipotle and just wing it. That is when I realized that many times when I do have to "wing it" that I end up with something I really love! Grumpy did enjoy it, but I was told I don't have permission to cook chicken anymore. Ha ha, right. If he wants me to make something other than chicken now, he can either help me decide what to have before dinner, or just keep quiet about it and eat. I will admit I have made a lot of chicken lately....but only to you. I'll never admit that to Grumpy!


Chipotle Chicken Skillet
ala HoneyB's

3 large boneless skinless chicken breast
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 onion, sliced
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers

Brown chicken in saucepan sprayed with cooking spray. Season chicken to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once browned on both sides, add sliced onion. Saute with chicken until onions start to turn soft. Add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes or til tender.

I served this over rice pilaf. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s
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I'm in love

I sure am! I'm in love with Amano Chocolate. I was one of the lucky winners of the Amano chocolate giveaway on Blake Makes.

Before Amano there was Lindt Dark chocolate. Before Lindt there was Dove Dark chocolate. But now that I have tried Amano Jembrana , I will never go back. Jembrana is 70% dark chocolate and is SO CREAMY. It is solid, but creamy and it just melts in your mouth. I savored every last bite of mine over the week. I also hid it in my nightstand so Grumpy couldn't find it. I savored one piece each night while I did my reading. he he. What he doesn't know, what hurt him. Might hurt me...but not him!

If you would like to try this chocolate out for yourself, you can check out their website where you can find out more about their chocolate and what goes into it AND see the very pretty design on their other bars! I want to thank Blake Makes and Amano Chocolate for giving me the opportunity to try this chocolate it was a great experience!
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Easy Chicken Potpie

Its snowing outside right now. Snow is coming down quite good and it is supposed to continue....we have 6-12" in the forecast! What better time than to think of something warm and comforting for dinner? Not to mention, quick and easy!

This is one of my go to meals when I need to think of something quick that will please Grumpy. Have you all figured out that I am pretty easy to please for the most part? ;o) I found this recipe in a Light & Tasty about 3 years ago (along with a hot fudge pudding cake that we love too!).


Chicken Pot Pie
Light & Tasty

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup plus 2/3 cup fat-free milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (I only use 1 bag - 2 bags is way too much!)
1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1-1/2 cups reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix

In a large bowl, combine the soups, 1/2 cup milk, thyme, pepper and poultry seasoning. Stir in vegetables and chicken.

Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir biscuit mix and remaining milk just until blended. Drop by 12 rounded tablespoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown.

Yield: 6 servings.
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Chocolate and Ginger

I debated. I decided no. Then I went to the TWD website to see what else we were making after this week. Then I debated some more. Did I want to really make chocolate gingerbread? Who would eat it besides me? Is it something my co-workers will eat? Well, I decided I would try it and see. So, I made the gingerbread.


I really like the icing recipe. Melted semi-sweet chocolate and coffee, stirring in softened butter and just enough confectioners sugar to make it sweet. I love how it tasted and I love how easy it was to spread on the cake. I will definitely keep that icing in mind for other recipes! I also like how moist the cake turned out. I did use a "real" 9x9 pan as Dorie had contacted our group to tell us we would have too much batter if we went with an 8x8 instead. I was lucky - apparently 9x9 pans are hard to come by, but I have one from an elderly friend who left me a lot of her dishes when she passed on. Turned out perfect. I think if I was to eat this cake, I probably wouldn't be able to stop it looks and smells so good to me.



Our choice this week came from Heather of Sherry Trifle the name of the recipe is Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread which can be found on Heather's blog or on page 212 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.


To check out the other Gingerbread cakes you can visit our blogroll. Next week is Dorie's World Peace cookies. These I have made before and LOVE them!
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Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and an award

Last week I found some fingerling potatoes in the grocery. I think this is the first time I have ever seen them in our area! So, naturally, when I saw them, I grabbed them right up! I had to try them. Besides, they were cute! :0)

I thought just roasting them with fresh rosemary, olive oil, salt & pepper would be a great way to try these out for the first time. They were delicious! But then again, what potato isn't delicious?



Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

1 lb. fingerling potatoes
2 stalks fresh rosemary
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Wash and slice potatoes. Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped leaves from two stalks of fresh rosemary.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until done.

*************************************************************************************
A little while ago, Linda of Weekend Cook gave me the Triple Award. Thanks Linda! The rules for recipients are:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I have more than 10 blogging buddies, but at this point in time I will recognize 10 - however all of you are special!

1. Cristine of Cooking with Cristine. I feel a real connection with Cristine. She is number one in my book. Number one mom, wife, and blogger.

2. Barbara of Barbara Bakes. Barbara and I have been emailing back and forth since last July. She and I seem to have a lot in common (the last name snow, children getting married, cooking light to name a few!) and I enjoy hearing from her on a regular basis! :) We have become email buddies and I really like that!

3. Jessie of The Hungry Mouse. Jessie and I converse back and forth a lot on stumbleupon! I love our going back and forth and the bits of info we share with each other. I feel like she is a real friend even though I have never met her in person!

4. Marthe of Culinary Delights. Oh Marthe. This woman deserves all kinds of recongition from me. Marthe has a huge heart and is super thoughtful. There has been real snail mail exchange between Marthe and I and I think the blogging world deserves to know what a wonderful person she is! She is so super thoughtful.

5. Laura of The Spiced Life. I met Laura when I was paired with her for Taste & Create. I have enjoyed our exchanes and I was delighted when she and her mom particpated in sending goodies to a soldier from my area right before Christmas.

6. Val of More than Burnt Toast. I have been reading Val's blog ever since I knew blogs existed. We share a little bit of geographical location in common and I just totally enjoy her blog. She amazes me at how much she seems to accomplish and the events she participates in!

7. Beth of Cookie Pie. Beth is a newer blogger that I have enjoyed reading. She was a winner of my Pay it Forward, a soon to be mom (come March) and is the food editor in one of my favorite magazines. She is a special girl, you can see that just from reading her blog!

8. Patsy of Family, Friends and Food. I have gotten to know Patsy even better since Facebook. She is super friendly and has an awesome blog. I am looking forward to getting to know her more!

9. Amanda of Bits and Bites of Everything. Amanda is my real life friend. She is a sweet, quiet and somewhat shy woman who has been there for me during a tough time a few months ago. She is a good friend who listens and doesn't judge! She started a blog and I'm really proud of her work! She recently made pizza on her own from scratch. Good going Amanda! :)

10. Robin Sue of Big Red Kitchen. Robin Sue is another woman with a big good heart! I love everything about her blog. She has a lot of interesting things to tell us and her most recent posts on Stromboli is one of my favorites!

Its hard to stop here. I feel like I'm leaving people out. You are all in my heart! Blogging has become a real part of my life and the friends I have made this way are all very special in their own way!
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Be my Valentine.....

Two events are coming up real close to each other. Grumpy's birthday and Valentines Day. I tell him that someone born so close to the day of love should be super sweet. He just laughs. But, I think there is some sweetness hidden there as proof I am about to tell you. You see that picture above? Well that was Grumpy's idea. Can you believe it? The man who laughed at me over a year ago for taking pictures of food is now telling me how he "thinks" I should "present" my food! lol. Just as proof, I got a picture of his hand below putting together his version of what my cookie should look like. he he. When I told him I had the photo he informed me I that I can't talk about him anymore. Yeah, right. I'll get right on it.

Earlier this week I told my son Justin that I would make him and Kristina some cookies. These are the cookies I made for them. An early Valentine treat. Probably not the only one either, so kids....here is a start! ;0)


The recipe I used for this cookie is the same one I used when I made chocolate chip cookies just last week. You can click here for the recipe. This time I used all dark brown sugar, made the cookies twice as big and added the Valentine M&M's instead of chocolate chips and pecans.



Stay tuned for some more cookies to come....some special ones.

In the meantime, make some Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies and put some "love" into them to pass on to your Valentine! Ok, I'm off to find Grumpy....
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Irish Cream Dream

Yeah, my brownie kick is about over....for now anyway! I have other things on my mind so brownies are going to probably take a back seat for a little while! But I have one more to share.

Irish Cream Brownies. I have all this Irish Cream Liquor and since I didn't use it to make a cheesecake or liquor soaked cake over the holidays, I needed to use it in something.....besides a shot glass. ;o)

This is another Cooking Light recipe so it won't break your calorie or WW points bank! It turned out really fudgy and you could detect the flavor of the Irish Cream in the brownie. Was it my favorite? No. The Mocha Toffee Brownie was my very favorite, but it was good and they all disappeared before noon in the office (which is a good indication of a good recipe!).


Irish Cream Brownies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place the chocolate chips and the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate chips and butter melt, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly. Add sugar and next 3 ingredients (through vanilla extract), stirring well with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring every 30 seconds. Fold in the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spread batter in a thin layer into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 16 servings.

Per Serving: Calories: 145, Fat: 4.9g, Fiber: 1.1g

WW Points: 3

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Italian Sausage Sandwiches

Do you ever get in a slump where you have no idea what you are going to do for dinner? Believe it or not, I am in that slump often. I want to make something Grumpy likes so I will ask him what he might suggest and this is how it will go: "I don't know" or "I'm not hungry, I can't think of anything right now". It can be so frustrating! A simple "lets have such and such" would sometimes make my life so much easier! I have a feeling it is this way in a lot of homes....at least my co-worker gets what I'm talking about when I mention it to her so I don't think I am alone here.

I make sure I am happy too...I mean, look at all the baked goodies I have been making lately. Believe me, that isn't for Grumpy's happiness. He's not a super big sweets person. I'm the sugar monger in the house. I like to believe that I am like my Nanny in every way. I have a big heart, love my family immensely, hate to see anyone hurt, and have a big sweet tooth. ;o) I probably have the nagging part down pretty good too. hehehe


The other evening was one of those nights that I had no idea what to make. I hadn't taken any meat out of the freezer and didn't have a clue. So, on my way home from work I gave Grumpy a call. No answer. After I put gas in my car I gave him another call. Still no answer. I headed on home thinking what am I going to fix? By the time I was 2 miles from home (and had already decided what I was making) Grumpy called me back. Too late. He didn't get a choice anymore. I had already decided - but I will say, he was not unhappy at all and commented that they were really good this time. I think its because I added some vinegar as suggested by Elle in her post on Italian Sausage Sandwiches!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large green or red bell peppers, or a mixture of both, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1 large onions, sliced
1 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds Italian Sweet Sausage Links
8 hoagie or steak sandwich rolls

Heat olive oil in large sauté over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until slightly wilted. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add peppers and seasonings; stir to combine. (this is where I added a couple tablespoons of vinegar) Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid to evaporate liquids.

Meanwhile, place sausages in frying pan and cook until browned on all sides and thoroughly done. Place cooked sausages in pan with peppers to keep warm. To serve, place a sausage in roll and top with peppers and onions as desired. (I slice my sausage, while Grumpy keeps his whole - fix yours however you like!) I toast our rolls - we like our rolls for all our sandwiches (hamburger, hotdogs, sausages) sprayed with some I Can't Believe it's Not Butter and broiled in the toaster oven.

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I'm feeling the love

,,
The brownie love that is! I admit it, I'm on a brownie kick. I don't see anyone I'm feeding them to complaining! These brownies were fudgy and yummy! Even Grumpy liked these - and he normally won't eat anything with toffee bits because he doesn't like "crunchy"!

These brownies went to work and they were all gone before noon. I didn't bother to move the box once it was empty and people kept coming in and looking in the box hoping for a brownie. I know, what a tease. I even had one faculty say that the box sitting there was her favorite box and she gets excited when she see's it next to the coffee maker. I would have to say that the faculty and students in my department are not only well fed but spoiled rotten!


Since I posted my Junior Mint Brownies I have seen even more brownie posts popping up. Check them out for some more brownie ideas!

Easy Chocolate Caramel Brownies by Patsyk (my Cooking Light baking buddy!)
Peanut-Butter Nutella Brownies by Cathy
Triple Chocolate Brownies by Grannyloohoo



Fudgy Mocha Brownies
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005

Cooking spray
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup toffee chips

Preheat oven to 350º.

Coat bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine coffee and hot water, stirring until coffee dissolves.

Combine butter and chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 1 minute or until butter melts; stir until chocolate is smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine coffee mixture, butter mixture, vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with toffee chips. Bake at 350º for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

WW Points: 3

Calories: 145 (30% from fat)

Fat: 4.8g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 2.2g

Carbohydrate: 24.9g

Fiber: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 30mg

Iron: 0.9mg

Sodium: 121mg

Calcium: 23mg

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Flavorful Venison Stew

Venison. It has always been abundant in our home since Grumpy and I have been together. When he and I got together, the one thing he warned me about was that he hunted and nothing interfered with his hunting. Little did he know that I was happy to hear that because it meant I had the whole hunting season to myself to do my "thing" while he was doing his "thing"! I admit, buy the time the season is over with, I am ready for it to be.....but the beginning of the season its like I hit the jackpot! he he.

This year something did interfere with his hunting season - his work and his mom's strokes. Work has been busy for him and his mom needing us took precedence over everything we had planned. By the way, we saw her last evening and I was amazed at how great she was doing! She looks great and is actually able to walk some without her walker. She's still wobbly, but she his making awesome progress!

As a result of hunting season being preempted, we will not have a freezer full of venison for the next year as we have always had. You can bet that next year Grumpy will be full head on the hunt for next year - and will be looking for that "big one" to come by! In the meantime, we will enjoy what we do have in the best way's possible!

Flavorful Venison Stew
Adapted from: Cooking Light, JANUARY 2004 (Beef Stew Recipe)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups diagonally cut carrot
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 bay leaves
Hot cooked rice

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add carrots through garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return beef to pan. Stir in water and next 6 ingredients (water through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Cook for 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve over top of hot cooked rice.

6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)
WW Points: 6

Calories: 288

Fat: 10.3g

Protein: 25.2g

Carbohydrate: 20.1g

Fiber: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 71mg

Iron: 5.5mg

Sodium: 584mg

Calcium: 100mg

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Sliding along

I decided to skip today's Tuesdays with Dorie. Basically because the recipe called for a heavy cream filled sponge cake and I knew I would not keep it away from my mouth! If your here looking for the Berry Surprise Cake you can find it on Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen's blog. You can also see the other TWD Baker's post on this cake by going to our blogroll. If you have the Baking: From my home to yours book, the recipe is on pages 273-275. I will look forward to reading the post on the cake but will have to enjoy it that way only this week!


Instead I am going to post today my favorite kind of burger. A slider. The slider is the absolutely perfect sized burger - for me anyway! The first time I ever had a slider was when I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise. Yum, yum, yum. The last time I had a slider was right here at home. ;o). I live too far away from Cheeseburger in Paradise to eat there on a regular basis!

For this burger I did use the Amazing Taste seasoning packet. If we didn't love it....I wouldn't be mentioning it here! It was an awesome burger! Their recipe is below - I of course fixed it up my way with the fixings - and I made mine into sliders....but you can enjoy them any way you want to. Below is just a suggested way of making them!


Hearty American Burger
Amazing Taste Foods

1 1/2 lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 large red onion (sliced)
1 packet of Amazing Taste® for Burger
4 wedges of iceberg lettuce
1/3 cup chopped pickle
1 large tomato cut into slices
4 onion rolls (split)
4 slices of your favorite cheese (optional)

Shape beef into 4 (1/2 inch thick) patties. Evenly coat patties (both sides) with 1/2 Amazing Taste® packet. Set aside. Grill onion slices over medium heat. Sprinkle remaining Amazing Taste seasoning over onions. Cook 5 minutes. Grill or broil burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side. Top with cheese (optional). Add your favorite condiment to bun. Layer with lettuce, burger, grilled onion, pickle, and tomato.

Serve with Fries, Chips, or Potato Salad.
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Chickpea and Corn Patties

Sometimes I just crave vegetarian foods. As I sit here this morning, looking at this photo, I could dig right into another one of these....but I will contain myself! One of the hardest parts of being a "foodie" and a cook is leaving well enough alone. I admit, I'm having a harder time lately and therefore I have resorted back to my cooking light recipes.

I attended a boarding school in my high school years that served only vegetarian foods. My mom also made vegetarian meals at home, so for me this wasn't a horrible thing. I really crave some of these foods at times. Since last evening Grumpy wasn't particularly in the mood for anything I decided to make these Chickpea and Corn Patties. He promised me he would try them - he's good like that. He didn't care for these but I really liked them! Guess I know what I will be eating for lunch the next few days - but I certainly won't mind!


Chickpea and Corn Patties
Cooking Light Complete

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) (I just used canned corn - no fresh corn in the middle of winter here and no frozen corn in my freezer!)
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, rinced and drained
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 teaspoons cornmeal
cooking spray
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup bottled salsa
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, onion, and minced thyme. Saute 2 minutes. Place onion mixture, chickpeas, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, salt and red pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8 times or until combined and chunky.

Divide chickpea mixture into 8 equal portions (I used a 1/4 cup measure and it worked out perfectly!), shaping each into 1/2 inch thick patty; dredge in cornmeal. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add 4 patties; cook 5 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 4 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with 1/2 teaspoon oil and remaining patties. Serve with fat-free sour cream and salsa. Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired. Yield: 4 servings (2 patties equals 1 serving), 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 tablespoon salsa.

261 calories, 5.7 grams fat, 6.1 grams fiber
WW points: 5
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CCC

CCC reminds me of an old friend. His name is Michael. I have no idea where he is anymore. Maybe he still lives in MA but we lost touch and I have no idea how to find him again. He was such a great friend and he loved Chocolate Chip Cookies. He was always bugging me to make them for him and wanted me to mail them to him. I did once and he actually sent me photos of when he received them! So, whenever I make CCC, I think of Michael and his music. He also was a musician and had made his own CD - which I still have!

These are not cooking light or low fat or good for you. They are just plain good. They are called Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies. If you eat just one (or two) you will be good. Throw the rest in the freezer and don't allow yourself to eat anymore until the next day. he he. Right. If your like me, once and a while you'll run to the freezer and eat a frozen one. They are good that way too. But, alas, I am being a good girl and not doing that. Honest! Cross my heart! I have that cruise I'm going on and I need to look good for it! I'll probably give some of these away. If any of my kids are reading this and you let me know you want some.....well, Mom will be over (or you can come grab some)!


I make these cookies a bit smaller than they are supposed to be. I get about twice as many cookies as the recipe says I should. I use my small cookie scoop when scooping them out. They spread some, but not a lot. They stay rounded some and have some substance to them. The bigger you make them, the thicker they will be.


Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sunset Magazine, November 2003

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Giradelli 70% dark big pieces!)
1 cup chopped pecans

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (I use my Kitchen-aid)

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.

Drop dough in 2-tablespoon (1/8-cup) portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. (I use my small cookie scoop which gives me twice as many cookies)

Bake in a 400° oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. (I still bake 6-8 minutes - they don't seem to get too brown to me - but I always check at 6 minutes first because after the first batch it can take less time)

With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. (I always use parchment paper and since my cookies are smaller I never have trouble with them breaking!)

Now for the scary part...

Nutrition Information: Calories (1 big cookie or 2 small ones) 208, Fat 11 grams.

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Grumpy's "thing"

Grumpy has a "thing" for chewy cookies. He also has a "thing" for white chocolate and macadamia nuts. I have a "thing" for my Grumpy. he he. I couldn't resist that!

A lot of us have been looking at lighter recipes to get rid of extra poundage and still be happy and satisfied with what we are eating. It is no secret that I love Cooking Light recipes. They can be very tasty while not killing the calorie/fat count! I made it knowing it would be chewy and yummy just by reading the ingredients! I also knew it would make my Grumpy a very happy man, for a while anyway ;o).


Coconut-Macadamia Nut Cookies
Cooking Light, December 2000

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup golden raisins (I use white chocolate chips instead)
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
Cooking spray (I line with parchment paper instead as these can be sticky!)

Preheat oven to 325°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 6 ingredients (flour through baking soda). Combine butter, water, and honey, stirring well to combine. Add butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well-blended. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pan, and cool on wire racks.

Serving size: 1 cookie
Per cookie: 90 calories, 2 grams fat, .5 grams fiber
WW Points: 2
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A winner and awards

The fruit roll-ups giveaway winner is:

Michelle said...

those are too cute. I love they can be customized. We have a little rock star want to be in our family, he got a guitar and lessons for Christmas so that would be cool. Or airplanes since my husband is air force and the boys share his love for airplanes.

I'm a new visitor to your blog, but have enjoyed spending time checking out your old posts. You have some great recipes I would love to try.

January 10, 2009 2:40 PM

Congratulations Michelle!

Chosen by:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

7

Timestamp: 2009-01-15 18:34:54 UTC

*************************************************************************************
I apologize for taking a little longer than I should have in getting this done. My last couple of posts were already set to go or they might not have made it up. You see, Grumpy had an accident at work and I have been a bit distracted. He's going to be fine - we are lucky he wasn't hurt as bad as he could have been. So, I'm busy taking care of Grumpy and working my job. Not much cooking going on as of the time I'm writing this, but maybe I'll have something else made soon! ;)

I have received some awards and want to thank and acknowledge them here today!

AK Mom of What's Baking awarded me with the One Lovely Blog Award.

I want to pass this on to Linda of Weekend Cook. She has a great blog with some great recipes! I am pleased to be able to give this award to Linda and I am super excited and look very forward to meeting her in person which we will be doing in the near future at one of my cousin's shows! (Big Grin here!)

*************************************************************************************

Barbara of Barbara Bakes awarded me with the Butterfly Award.

I want to award this to one of my cooking friends who's blog is very new! If you haven't seen her blog yet, please do visit. She is a very insightful lady who writes well and you will love what she has to share! She also has a knack for making her photos look so inviting. You will love her! Katypi of Food for a Hungry Soul, this goes to you!

I also want to pass this on to Debbie of The Friday Friends. Oh my. Just read her posts, she will have you laughing so hard at times you think your going to wet your pants....seriously, she just did that to me this morning! Debbie is awesome, down to earth and so honest! I love her blog!

*************************************************************************************

Megan of Megan's Munchies awarded me with the Holy Yum! Award

I want to pass this on to one of my most favorite blogs ever! Pam of For the Love of Cooking. If you've been reading my blog all along, then you know I have tried some of her recipes and all of them have been a hit with both Grumpy and myself! Everything this girl cooks looks amazing and I want to be her neighbor!
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I jumped on the brownie wagon

What is it that makes us all think of the same thing (or food) at the same time? What is it about brownies lately that have us all thinking about them? I'm not sure what the answer is to that question. Maybe its because we all (guys and girls!) are having chocolate cravings?


Of course, I am trying to make things in the house healthier so Grumpy doesn't blame me anymore for his getting fat. (did I just say that?!?) Cooking Light has a lot of brownie recipes. I have earmarked a few recipes that I want to try and if they turn out and are scrumptious, I will share them with you.


Which brings us to today's post. The Junior Mint Brownie, published in Cooking Light, March 1999 magazine. Ten years later I am finally making it. I don't know why it took me so long. I love chocolate, I love brownies, and I love mint. I can tell you this....I won't wait another 10 years before I make this recipe again! Try it....and see for yourselves!



Junior Mint Brownies
Cooking Light, March 1999

Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter
32 (about 3 ounces) creamy, small-size mints in pure chocolate (such as Junior Mints)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg
1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine butter and mints in a 2-cup glass measure; microwave at high 30 seconds or until soft. Stir until smooth, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine sugar, cocoa, egg, and egg white in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add mint mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely on a wire rack.

This makes 16 brownies at 121 calories per brownie!

Want to try some other luscious looking brownies? These sites have been tempting me with their yummy chocolatey goodness! Below are other bloggers who have been thinking about brownies too!

Brownies by Matt's Kitchen
Brownies with Caramel Creme Fraiche by Chocolate Shavings
"Baked" Brownies by The Spiced Life
Nutella Chocolate Fudge Brownies by Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases



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Chicken made amazing

I have definitely found a product that I will use for making my chicken, beef, or pork tender! I was given the opportunity to try the Amazing Taste seasoning packets and am very glad that I was! My favorite thing about this product? It makes the meat super tender!

I made a Cooking Light recipe for Chicken that I used the chicken seasoning packet to marinate the chicken prior to cooking. I let the seasoning packet marinate all day in the fridge. This is a dry rub, but it gets wet after you wash your meat and dip it in the seasoning. I followed the directions for the packet then went on to make my recipe.

Amazing Chicken with Sherried Mushrooms

If you use the Amazing Taste packet, do not use the salt and pepper to season the flour. You do not need extra salt and make sure that you do use reduced sodium chicken broth.

1 (14-1/2 ounce) can fat free, reduced sodium, chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups presliced baby portabella mushrooms
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Place broth in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 7 minutes); set aside.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Place a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; set aside. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.

Add butter, mushrooms, and shallots to pan; cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms are lightly browned, stiring constantly. Add sherry; bring to a boil. Add 1 cup reduced broth; cook until reduced to 1-1/2 cups (about 7 minutes).

Return chicken to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce and garnished with parsley.
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TWD is Sweet, Spicy & Savory this week!

This week the bakers at Tuesdays with Dorie took a more savory route. However, it was still sweet but also spicy! This week, Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake chose Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins on page 6 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I made these knowing that Grumpy doesn't care for corn muffins or corn bread. But, because it was different, I figured he couldn't be, well, Grumpy with me for doing it. ;0) I made these to go with our lentil soup that we had on Saturday. They were pretty good, but as far as Grumpy was concerned, they were still cornbread. I liked the addition of red pepper, jalapeno, corn and cilantro....oh and don't forget the chili powder! I thought it went pretty good with the soup.

But, because it is only l'il ole me and big ole Grumpy in our house anymore, I probably won't make them again unless we are having a chili fest somewhere and I can take them where others can enjoy also. If your a cornbread lover and if you like spicy and sweet mixed, you will love these!

To see what other TWD baker's did with their muffin's, go check out our blogroll!
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This cake could fool anyone!

Dont forget to enter the fruit roll up giveaway before 7 pm today!

Mom and Dad were coming to dinner and I wanted to bake a cake. I also wanted to go light. I have seen this cake recipe in my Best of Cooking Light cookbook many times as I would flip through the pages, but never had made it.

I had all the ingredients except for the caramel apple dip, but I knew how to improvise for that! This cake turned out so awesome! The crumb was tender and the cake was light. Believe it or not, for what it looks like - it wasnt' too sweet either. To top it all off, it has 309 calories per serving and only 8.4 grams of fat (provided you use all the ingredients as they suggest). It makes 12 servings. These are pretty good sized servings and I would only eat half of a regular serving just to cut the calories even more - but at that, if you wanted to eat the whole slice, you still could do it guilt free!


Cooking Light has been one of my favorite recipe sources for many years now. I have the annual cookbooks going all the way back to 1999. I have many of the magazines in storage that I pull out to go thru for each season too! What I love about their recipes is they are easy, simple to find ingredients and best of all light!

Dad loved the cake so much he was threatening to just take my whole cake dish home. I didn't let him. ;o) But I sent a good portion home with him!


Double Caramel Turtle Cake
The Best of Cooking Light cookbook

Cake:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon flour
1-1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1-2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I only had light brown)
2-3 tablespoons fat free milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Topping:
2/3 cup fat free caramel apple dip (I melted some kraft caramels with a little fat free half and half)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottoms of 2 (8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pans); line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Combine boiling water and cocoa, stirring well with a whisk. Cool completely.

Place granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 1-2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1-2/3 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans, sharlply tap pans once on counter to remove aid bubbles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (Mine baked for exactly 30 minutes and came out perfectly!) Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons milk, and cook 1 minute or until sugar melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine buttter mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until spreading consistency.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate, and spread top with half of frosting. Place caramel dip in a small zip-top plastic bag. (i dip is too thick, place bag in microwave for 20 seconds.) Snip a small hole in 1 corner of bag and drizzle half of caramel dip over frosting. (This is where I just melted the caramels with some fat free half and half and then put the melted caramel in a wilton decorating bag to pipe over the cake). Top with other cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top of cake, and drizzle with remaining caramel dip. Sprinkle with pecans.
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Lets stay warm!

When it is cold outside I don't want to leave my house, and it was cold out there today! So, I stayed in, did some laundry, surfed the internet, looked over magazines and aggravated Grumpy. Well, I had to do something to liven my day! ;o) He wouldn't know what to do with himself if I weren't around here to aggravate him anyway, so I'm kind of obligated to do it. You know?!

I knew I could probably get away without making something else to go with our dinner if I was making what we call Lentil Stew. Grumpy likes it and he doesn't complain that it is vegetarian. However, he did mention tonight he thought ham would be good in it. I'm turning a deaf ear to that though. I like my lentil stew just the way I make it. Meatless. Totally meatless.

HoneyB's Lentil Stew

1 medium carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 bay leaf

Saute the above ingredients until softened. Then add:

2 cups uncooked lentils
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth (made with better than boullion vegetable base)
1-14.5 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until lentils are cooked, approximately 1 hour. If you wish, you can add more water to thin this out into more soup like consistency. We like to eat it a little thicker.
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Do you wanna be a rockstar? A giveaway!

Free Fruit Roll-ups!

Do you know someone who wants to be a Rock Star? I do. What is your child's passion? Young or old, it really doesn't matter. Want to make them feel special?? Well, you have a chance to!

When I was contacted about giving away these fruit roll ups I immediately said YES! My kids, who aren't "kids" anymore love them! So does Grumpy. Ok, for that matter....so do I! The best part of this giveaway? You can design your own fruit roll up!!! Yes!! So, I accepted the offer and ordered my roll up - self designed. My youngest son just had a birthday. He also has a deep passion for music. He always would say he was going to be a rock star. One year, I even gave him a little pillow that said "rock star" on it. He will always be my rock star and so I decided since he was having a birthday I was going to make him a rock star on fruit roll ups!

How would you design your own fruit roll up if you won? Leave me a comment letting me know what special design you would make for a chance to win this awesome giveaway! What you will win is a whole box of fruit roll ups with your design. You will get a box of 30 roll-ups! What an awesome way to say I love you for Valentine's day this year!!

I will close this giveaway by Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7 PM EST so hurry and enter and let your friends know also! If you announce this giveaway on your blog, come back here and leave me a comment with a link to your blog and I will give you a 2nd chance to win! There will be one winner chosen by random integer who will receive a special code to place the order. If you want to just have fun or you don't happen to win this giveaway and you want to order your own special designed roll-up, you can check out the My Fruit Roll-Ups website! Good luck!
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Special Dinner Guests

My son was coming for dinner. What was I going to do? I had actually cooked a meal every night this week and was tired of it - can you believe that? :o) But Chris was coming. I had to cook something special since he isn't here every night to eat a meal with us anymore. I knew he would be looking forward to something yummy.

Chris called me late yesterday afternoon and wanted to know when I wanted him to go to the house. I told him if he could get there before me to shovel out the end of the driveway that would make it much easier for me to get in....since the last couple of days we have been getting an amazing amount of snow! A few minutes later he called and wanted to know if my cousin Brandon could come too. Yes, I said my cousin. Oh, yeah, he is Chris' cousin too, but I want to mention how cool I think it is that my son and his third cousin are such good friends! Not to mention, the more people I can feed, well, all the merrier. Wow, it is moments like this when I make a statement like that when I realize I am so much like my nanny!


So, Chris & Brandon made it to my house before me, and ended up shoveling a path all the way up so the car's could actually get in the driveway. I guess it was pretty bad! When Grumpy got home he finished it up with our "temperamental" snow blower.

What did I decide to make? Have you guessed yet by the photos? Read below. It was AMAZING. There was none left. What the boys didn't eat, Grumpy finished up...and I doubled the recipe!

Honey Walnut Shrimp
allrecipes.com

1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
4 egg whites
2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour) (I used cornstarch)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.

Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.
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Banana Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nuts and Coconut

Bananas going bad? Need something delicious for breakfast? Have a special student who has a birthday? [HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!] Then make this! Just look at that topping! Who would not want to dig into that? ;o)



I love Cooking Light recipes. Especially when they look and taste fattening, but aren't - as long as you don't eat the whole cake!

Bananas moisten the cake and there is no need for a lot of oil. There are only 3 Tablespoons in the entire cake! If you don't have macadamia nuts you can substitute pecans - but we loved the macadamia nuts on top! This is so easy to make and so delicious to eat that you just have to try it!

Banana Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nuts and Coconut
Cooking Light, November 2002 Issue

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (banana through egg) in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 1 minute or until well blended. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, and beat until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Carefully peel off wax paper.

Combine brown sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in nuts and coconut. Spread over cake. Serve cake warm.

12 servings
189 Calories per serving

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When there is a birthday there is an excuse!

To make a cake that is! :)

While we were on break, my co-worker Sue had a birthday! Fortunately Facebook reminded me of it or I wouldn't have remembered until I got back to work and opened my calendar! I'm bad at remembering things on my own. I have to write everything down or I end up forgetting something important!

Since I knew it was Sue's birthday, I knew I had an excuse to make a cake! Sunday night I picked up the Healthy Cooking April/May 2008 magazine. I glanced at the index and saw there was a chocolate cake recipe. I read the ingredient list and figured it sounded quick and easy enough and decided to make that as soon as I got up the next morning! I was baking her cake at 4:30 AM!! I do owe her big time. She saved my behind our last day at work before Christmas! I was at work without a car and my temporary tooth (in the process of a root canal) came loose! She sent me off with her car to get it fixed. She also is good at reminding me of what I need to take home like my purse, my cell, anything I have in the fridge. Last night I left my cell on my desk! Sue made sure to ask me if I had it tonight. I said I was bad at remembering things. ;)

I made her this cake to celebrate her day and I even had a present to give her! I was so proud of myself for going into to work Monday morning with gift and cake in hand! Mid-afternoon we had some of the cake. It was very moist and delicious! I sent her home with the rest of the cake to enjoy with her family.


Tuesday morning when I came into work Sue had a surprise for me. She had made a beautiful scarf (neck warmer my CF's !). It was red and black and matched my peacoat perfectly! So, it was her birthday, and she brought me in a gift too! Who could ask for a better co-worker! Thanks Sue...and I hope you had a great time with your family tonight as you celebrated with them. Tomorrow, my treat at First Crush, and maybe we can talk Shawn into putting a candle in your cake. ;)

Rich Mocha Cake

3 Tbsp instant coffee granuales
2 Tbsp boiling water
4 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp Kahlua, divided
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing:
2 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
3-4 Tbsp Kahlua

In a small bowl, dissolve coffee granules in boiling water. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, 1/2 cup Kahlua, oil, vanilla and coffee mixture until well blended. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually beat into egg mixture until blended.

Coat a 10-inch fluted tube pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour; add batter. Bake at 325 for 40-48 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Cool 15 minutes longer; brush with remaining Kahlua. Cool completely.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate with millk; stir until smooth. Stir in enough Kahlua to achieve a spreading consistency. Spread over top of cake.

Serves 16. 1 slice equals 223 calories, 6 grams fat, 1 gram fiber
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A very special Tuesday's with Dorie!

It has now been a year since Tuesday's with Dorie began. Unfortunately, I was not with the group from the beginning, however, I have been reading their posts since the beginning! This week, we had the honor of having Dorie make the choice of the week herself! Dorie chose French Pear Tart on pages 368 and 369 of her cookbook Baking: From my home to yours. Dorie baked along with us and you will be able to view the recipe on her site.


The photo above is of my DIL Kristina and I on Thanksgiving day. I have this photo here for a very special reason! Kristina had a part in my making this recipe as successful as it was for me. Let me fill you in on a little bit of info I haven't shared. On Dec. 26th I flew to Indianapolis to visit my brother and his family (which I did mention here). However, I wasn't at my brother's house an hour when my son called me to say that he and Kristina had been in the ER since 3 AM that morning and that she was going to have to have emergency surgery. I felt so helpless and so bad that I was now so far away from home and couldn't be there. I kept in close touch with Justin and Kristina came out of surgery just fine. They had their honeymoon planned for this week, so she had a week recovery at home and then took off for their honeymoon!

I went to visit Kristina the day they were to leave and helped her do a few things and kept her company until Justin got home. While I was there Kristina told me she had something she bought for me that she wanted to give me. She showed me my present and I was flabergasted! I couldn't believe it....but she had bought me a food processor! What a thoughtful DIL I have! So, I brought it home and then the next day as I was reading my recipe for this week I realized how lucky I was to have the food processor as I needed it to grind the nuts, make the pastry, and make the pastry cream! So, thanks to Kristina, my tart this week was a super success!

The recipe called for a tart pan with a removable bottom - which I did not have. I only had an 8" tart pan - so I went with that. No problem getting the tart out of the pan - it came out very easily! It tasted delicious and Grumpy was very happy! He loves pears so this dish was right up his alley. He had a piece the night I made it and made sure to mention that I put a piece in his lunch box this morning!

To see what other TWD members did with their tarts this week, visit our blogroll! Next week we will be making Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins!

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What to do with pork

Let me explain. I grew up not eating pork chops. There was meat in our home but my mother did not eat pork. Most of my cooking and baking skills are self taught. Mom didn't really teach me how to cook as I didn't live at home during my teen years. I was at a private, church run boarding school and this boarding school served only vegetarian foods. So, when I married a meat eater, I had a lot to learn.

Grumpy is an avid hunter. Turkey & deer. Our freezer is most always full of venison! But, you can only eat so much of the same meat for so long and Grumpy loves pork. Last evening when I asked him what he wanted me to fix for dinner, pork chops was the response. Sigh. I am gaining more confidence with meat - I mean, I really liked those ribs. I just don't prefer to eat the pork. Its not my favorite meat. I don't even know I have a favorite meat! Sorry, but give me a good old black bean burger any day and I'll be happy!

I searched allrecipes.com and found the recipe I would try for the pork. It called for beer - so how could it go wrong with Grumpy? :0)

My Kid's Favorite Porkchops
allrecipes.com

6 pork chops

2 tablespoons steak seasoning

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

2 onions, sliced

Sprinkle pork chops with steak seasoning. Brown both sides in skillet. After the pork chops have been browned, remove them from the pan.

Pour into skillet one can of beer. Stir around the beer until all the particles on the sides have been incorporated. Pour in barbecue sauce and place the pork chops back into the pan. Add onions and cover. Simmer on low for 1 to 2 hours.

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Shrimp Scampi

Today was a quiet, peaceful day at home. A time where I didn't do anything I didn't feel like doing. Tomorrow I go back to work and I will no longer have the liberty of doing what I feel like. I will be back into my regular routine. What did I do? I made my Tuesdays with Dorie treat, cleaned and straightened out some of my cupboards, made Grumpy a breakfast of French Toast and bacon (with pure maple syrup!), and stayed in my pajama's all day long!!

Grumpy spent the day doing about the same type of thing as I did. Much of nothing! He did find me an adapter for the laptop for only $20!! That I was very happy about. My adapter has gone kaput. :o( Tonight, we are going to watch P.S. I love you. I have been anticipating this movie because I have heard it was excellent!

So, for what I consider a lazy day, I wanted a lazy meal. I also wanted light. I pulled out my Cooking Light Complete cookbook and opened up to the seafood section because I also wanted shrimp! I had looked at the recipe for Shrimp Scampi (on page 241) many times, but never had made it. Until tonight! This is a good light recipe and doesn't take long to make!

Shrimp Scampi
Cooking Light Complete

2 pounds unpeeled large shrimp (48 shrimp)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
8 garlic cloves, crushed (I minced mine - of course, I didn't read the recipe, I just assumed to mince - still came out fine....just very garlicky!)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika (ok, I forgot this!)
6 (2-oz) slices French Bread (I decided to forgo the bread and made spaghetti to go with)

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact (we did not leave tails on). Butterfly each shrimp, cutting to, but not through, back of shrimp. Arrange 8 shrimp, cut sides up in each of 6 gratin dishes; place dishes on a baking sheet and set aside.

Preheat broiler.

Melt margarine in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in wine, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Spoon wine mixture evenly over shrimp; sprinkle paprika over shrimp. Broil 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Serve with crusty French Bread (or over spaghetti noodles).

Yield: 6 servings

Note: I didn't have gratin dishes so I broiled the shrimp in a 13x9 baking dish.
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I just want my baby back

For those of you who don't know that song, it is sung by Jerry Kilgore. I have no idea who he is other than he sings that country song! It is one of the songs I learned to line dance to when I was going to classes with my Aunt Marlene and it was one of my favorite dances!

However, this post really isn't about the dance. Its about the food. The food just reminds me of the song :) Yeah, I know. Goofy. Grumpy tells me that all the time!


I have been reading Jessie's blog The Hungry Mouse for a while now. Jessie is definitely a meat eater! Grumpy would love to be a guest in her home on a regular basis and I'm convinced I would be too!! I looked her recipes over and I do plan to make them - but this time, for my first time making ribs, I decided to do what my sister-in-law Heidi does. The rib recipe Jessie posted today is probably my next try!

My sister-in-law Heidi cooks the ribs in her crockpot with two bottles of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce and then broils them to crisp them up. I decided to not cook them in the BBQ sauce because Grumpy prefers not so much sauce. But, I did use Heidi's method. I basically cooked my ribs in the crockpot using a recipe I found on allrecipes.com as a guide, then pulled them out and broiled them.


Baby Back Ribs with Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ Sauce

1 package baby back ribs
2 celery stalks, cut in half
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 -1/2 cups water
1 onion, sliced

Cook in crockpot on high for 1-1/2 hours. Change setting to low and continue to cook for 5 more hours.

Line cookie sheet with foil. Place ribs on foil and brush BBQ sauce over top. Broil on high approximately 5 minutes. Turn and repeat. Serve!

The verdict? They were great! Even Grumpy said they were great! Thanks Jessie for giving me the "nudge" I needed to try making ribs on my own! :)
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First muffin of the year!

It has been quite some time since I posted about a muffin. Bascially because I was "muffined out" earlier this year. However, today I happen to be home alone and felt like making muffins!! Yes. I have been on "break" since December 24th and this is my first day home alone. I'm doing housework, sorting thru my gifts I bought for next year (yup, already), thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner and mentally prepping myself for Monday when I have to go back to work.

It is a chilly 12 degrees outside today and warming the house up some by making some muffins was perfect. I decided to go to the TWD site and see what muffin's they had already made in the past. I found that almost a year ago the then small group had made Dorie's Orange Berry Muffin. Since I had blueberries in my freezer from my blueberry picking expedition and I just happened to have an orange in my fridge, I knew I had found my choice.

These muffins were very easy to make, smell wonderful before and while baking, have a very soft tender crumb and are not too sweet. This is a great muffin recipe!

Orange Berry Muffins

Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Ingredients:
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
About 3/4 cup buttermilk *see below
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries - fresh, preferably, or frozen (not thawed)

Decorating sugar, for topping (optional)

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough - the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes **. If you want to top the muffins with decorating sugar, sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

*I had to improvise a little because I did not have buttermilk so I made my own by putting about a tablespoon of lemon juice in my measuring cup and then filled it to 3/4 cup with my 1% milk.

**I baked mine for only 20 minutes and they were already getting dark on the top. I did pull them out at 10 minutes as suggested and sprinkled the muffin with sugar.

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Happy New Year!

There is no doubt about it. This last year has been a turning point in my life. If there is anything I have learned it is that you can develop strong feelings for fellow bloggers whom you may have never met. When you share a piece of your life with someone and they in turn have compassion and caring for you so much so that you actually FEEL their compassion and caring - without even meeting them face to face, that is something really special. I want to thank those of you who have come into my life and shown me that you cared!

Last year I had such a high and happy event in my life followed by a devastating super low all within a month's timeframe. It doesn't help that I am an super emotionally charged person and that I could cry with the drop of a pin. I cry over happy and I cry over sad events. Easily. I cry over my own and I cry over someone elses joy or pain. I care and I care deeply. It doesn't matter if your my best friend or a stranger.

My biggest high of the year was my son's wedding. Being a mom, it is such a joy to see your child in one of the happiest times of their life. It is also heartbreaking because your realize your little one is no longer your "little one." I'm happy, so very happy for my son and his wife Kristina. I'm only sad for the day's gone by of his childhood. Sad that I couldn't relive them only to enjoy him over again as a child.

My biggest low also involved my children. I watched my children's heart break to pieces over the unexpected death of their uncle. There is nothing more heart wrenching for a parent than to have to see their child mourn. There is also nothing more heartbreaking than the loss of a life way too young. My heart went out to not only my children, but to my ex's family.

When a new year begins, we look back at the happy and the sad and then we look to the future. I am in Phase 3 of my life. Phase 3 is my middle aged life. Yup. I said it. Middle aged. I can't believe it. I don't know how I got here so fast. BUT, just because I'm middle aged certainly doesn't mean I am going to stop enjoying life! No way! This just means that I have a future to look forward to! I have Grumpy and my kitties. I have adult children moving on with their lives. I still have my parents, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins. Grumpy and I are planning our first "real" vacation together this year. We haven't totally decided yet, but it could be a cruise. I have that to look forward to. So as I start this new year, I look back and reflect but I also look foward and anticipate. I am looking for great things to happen and for love to grow. I plan to be happy. How about you?
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