Chococonut Chip Cookies

My favorite cookies!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mashed Cauliflower and Cheese

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/mashed-cauliflower-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower, finely chopped (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions

Add the cauliflower to a medium-sized saucepan along with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the milk and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Mix in the cheese and taste for seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and garnish with sour cream and chives.

Creamy Cucumber Salad by Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 4 hothouse cucumbers, thinly sliced (3 to 4 pounds)
• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced in half rounds
• Kosher salt
• 4 cups (32 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (recommend using Greek yogurt instead)
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup minced fresh dill
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Mix the cucumbers, red onions, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt in a bowl. Pour them into a colander and suspend it over a bowl. Wrap the bowl and colander with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to drain for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl.

Pour the yogurt into a sieve lined with a paper towel and suspend it over another bowl. Wrap the bowl and sieve in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the second bowl.

When the cucumbers are ready, roll them up in paper towels or a kitchen towel and press the towel lightly to remove most of the liquid. Place the cucumbers and yogurt in a large bowl with the sour cream, vinegar, dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Toss well and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and serve chilled

Date stuffed with goat cheese & nut, wrapped with prosciutto

Ingredients:

½ lb. Medjool dates
¼ lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced
2-4 oz. goat cheese
Candied nuts 

 
Remove pits from dates. Stuff the dates with an almond (or walnut, or pecan) and a little goat cheese. Do not over-stuff. Wrap slices of prosciutto around the date. Put under the broiler until heated and crispy.

Mushrooms Stuffed with Crab Meat

Mushrooms Stuffed With Crabmeat

Ingredients:1c. shredded crabmeat (make sure you measure this after it's all shredded)
1 tbsp. fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. each chopped onion, parsley & chives (or 1 tsp. of dry)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg slightly beaten
24 lg. mushrooms, cleaned with stems removed
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan  (I used a little more than this)
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Combine crabmeat, onion, parsley, chives, bread crumbs and salt and mix well. Add egg and mix again. Spoon into mushroom cavities, mounding slightly. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle lightly with more bread crumbs, if desired.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot.

7 layer magic cookie bars

Ingredients:

11/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

   ( NOT evaporated milk)

1 cup (6 ounces) butterscotch- flavored chips

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

11/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 ( 325 if using a glass pan).

2. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well.

Press the crumb mixture firmly onto the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch

baking pan.

3. Pour condensed milk evenly over the crumb mixture.

4. Layer remaining ingredients in the order listed. Press down firmly with a fork.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool. Chill if desired.

6. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.

Makes 24-36 bars

 

Strawberry Fluff

This recipe is from Taste of Home.... dessert/salad and it was yummy!!!

 

Strawberry Fluff

Ingredients:

 

1 package(3 ounces) strawberry gelatin

2 cartons(13-1/ 2 ounces each) strawberry glaze

2 quarts buttermilk

4 packages (5.1 ounces each) instanst vanilla pudding mix

4 cartons(16 ounces each) froze4n whipped topping, thawed

4 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced

additional fresh stawberries, optional

 

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and glaze; set aside. In two large bowls, whisk buttermilk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Sitr in glaze mixture; fold in whipped topping and strawberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Garnish with additional strawberries is desired.  Yield 80 servings.

 

I halfed this recipe and i still had ALOT left over! 

 

Crockpot Carne Asada

Crock Pot Carne Asada


Ingredients:2 1/2 pounds lean stew meat (I used beef shoulder roast)
2 Tbsp chili powder (I used 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder, and 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper)
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp minced garlic
Juice of 1 fresh lime
12 oz dark beer or beef broth (I used beef broth)
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 small onion, cut into eigths
1 Tsp dry oregano

In a ziplock bag combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, minced garlic, and lime juice until blended. Put meat in ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, put the meat in the crock pot, along with the beer/beef broth, onion, jalapeño peppers, and the oregano. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 6 hours. Shread meat with two forks and serve with your favorite garnishes in flour tortillas.

Snow Ball Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup pecans finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400.
Mix butter, powdered sugar and the vanilla.
Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
Roll into one inch balls.  Place one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until set, not brown.  10-12 minutes.  Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
Cool off and roll into powered sugar again.
Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Pretzel Sticks

1 package of pretzel rods
1 package of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
sprinkles, crumbled cookies (oreos)

Melt chocolate in double boiler, use spoon to put chocolate on pretzels and roll in sprinkles or cookies.  Place on wax paper to cool.  Easy to store in fridge or freezer.

Crock Pot Carne Asada

I love using the crock pot to cook....Not only does it make cooking dinners super easy....but I love how tender the meat gets.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds lean stew meat (I used beef shoulder roast)
2 Tbsp chili powder (I used 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder, and 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper)
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp minced garlic
Juice of 1 fresh lime
12 oz dark beer or beef broth (I used beef broth)
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 small onion, cut into eigths
1 Tsp dry oregano

In a ziplock bag combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, minced garlic, and lime juice until blended. Put meat in ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, put the meat in the crock pot, along with the beer/beef broth, onion, jalapeño peppers, and the oregano. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 6 hours. Shread meat with two forks and serve with your favorite garnishes in flour tortillas.

Super easy oven baked spare ribs

My friend found this recipe on http://www.cookingforengineers.com.  We went and played poker at her house one night and she made these...I was quite impressed!  The meat was falling off the bone and it was oh so juicy!  Here's what the website said:

For pork ribs that literally fall off the bone, I use an oven to slowly cook the ribs. 
The recipe is quite simple: mix 18 oz. of barbeque sauce (1 bottle) with 1/2 cup orange juice. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Place ribs in pan and flip using tongs so ribs are coated. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 300°F oven. Total cooking time can be as short as 2 hours or as long as 4 hours. Flip ribs over halfway through cooking. 

Cooking the ribs for 2 hours will result in meat almost falling off the bones. If you cook for four hours, the ribs may be hard to lift out of the pan because the meat will be on the verge of falling off the bones under slight pressure. The cartilage will also be soft and practically melt in the mouth. 

After the ribs are done cooking, remove th aluminum foil and continue to cook for about 10 min. per side to thicken the sauce. 

Roasted Red Onions with Butter, Honey, and Balsamic Vinegar

This dish goes wonderfully with the Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust.  I wasn't actually too sure how this dish would turn out.  I was very skeptical about it.  But in the end I'm glad I made them.  The onions turned out quite tasty!

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 bunch fresh thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 red onions, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the butter, vinegar, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Place the onions, cut sides up, in a single layer on a baking pan. Drizzle the butter-vinegar mixture over and roast until soft and slightly caramelized, about 45 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Scalloped Potato Gratin

This dish goes wonderfully with the Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust.  Because I had a lot more company coming over....I added an extra potato...but this ended up being so good that I should have doubled the recipe.  As I was preparing this, I felt like the amount of Parmesan indicated in this recipe was not enough....So I basically added more.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Butter

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust

My friend Andrea made this dish for a little holiday party and it tasted so good that I decided to make it for my Xmas Eve dinner.  She found the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roast-prime-rib-of-beef-with-horseradish-crust-recipe/index.html  Definitely make it with the Scalloped Potato Gratin and Roasted Red Onions.  The one thing that I did differently...was that I took a fork and I jabbed some holes on the top of the roast before I massaged the paste on.  I also let the paste sit on the roast for 8 hours before I cooked it to let the flavors soak into the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 3 ribs, about 6 pounds
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
• Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 cups canned chicken or beef broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare), 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Pour off some of the pan drippings and place pan on stovetop over medium-high heat.

Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

Serve with Scalloped Potato Gratin and Roasted Red Onions.

Yummy Red and White Sagrias

 I got to taste both the red and white sangrias at a holiday party and fell in love!

Ingredients:
- 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2/3 bottle of Mango Passion or Mango Nectar juice from TJ'S (or to taste...depending on how strong or weak you want it)
- Sliced up fruit
      (I like to use lemon/oranges and muddle them first in the pitcher and then put slices into the sangria, but any kind of fruit works)
- A splash of Orange liquor (I used the patron one from TJ'S)

For the white sangria just substitute Sauvignon Blanc for the Cab and add raspberries for extra color. Two Buck Chuck works well for this because you want a palatable wine, but not an expensive one