Cookie Countdown

Allrecipes is doing a month-long Cookie Countdown Calendar for the month of December. Every day they will post a new cookie recipe. They also have an Ultimate Guide to Holiday Cookies with their top 10 cookie recipes. The Caramel Shortbread Squares look really tasty.

Thanksgiving Recap

Well, I survived Thanksgiving...just barely. I've come to the conclusion that cooking takes a lot of time...more than I have the energy for. I'm not giving up, but I'm more determined than ever to stick to quick and easy recipes instead of killing myself over complicated and time consuming ones. Honestly, if the food tastes good, people don't care if it took you 10 minutes or two hours to make it. After this past weekend, I've also learned that if you keep your house semi-clean all the time, you don't have to spend hours cleaning it up for guests. I'm not sure if I'll stick to my own advice, but it sure would have been helpful last weekend when I was frantically cleaning and cooking simultaneously.

I won't bore you with the details, but I'll give you the low-down on what people thought of the food. The Artichoke Dip was a hit. (This is definitely going to be one of my staples.) The Creamy Crab Dip came in a close second...and Kevin loved it, which is great given that he's a bit picky. The Apple Toffee dip was another success, although it doesn't taste as good the next day. I'm really sold on the Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Casserole. It's easy and tastes great. I'm not sure if I liked the Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. The instant pudding mix definitely makes the cookies stay soft, but they weren't as sweet or buttery as most chocolate chip cookies. I might give them a second shot, just in case it was operator error (highly possible). All the cookies were eaten by Monday, so they couldn't have been that bad. We wimped out and didn't make the Stuffed Shells on Sunday. Kevin's brother and family also came for dinner, and I wasn't looking forward to tripling the recipe to have enough for nine people. We had Costco Lasagna instead.

My SIL Heather made a great chocolate pie on Friday, so I'll be posting that recipe as soon as I get it. My other SIL Cheryl made a great broccoli salad on Sunday. I found a couple similar recipes on Allrecipes.com, so I'll post that too.

Next on my list, come up with a few more healthy quick and easy dinner options. I have THIS book on my Christmas list, which sounds like the perfect book for me.

The next event on my calendar is a get-together with my ya-ya sisters and their families on December 17th. I volunteered to host the party. I'm thinking that I'll keep things simple and we'll just to heavy appetizers instead of a full-blown meal. The challenge with this group is that there are three vegetarians, two semi-vegetarians, two guys who will eat anything, and two babies. Hmmm... My think tank is working overtime.

Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Allrecipes.

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars (brown & white). Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown.

Notes: These cookies received a great rating on the Allrecipes website with over 2500 reviews, so I had to give them a try. I was actually disappointed with the result. It's not that the cookies weren't good, but I just don't think they are *my* type of chocolate chip cookie. I'm not sure how to describe the cookies except to say that they are very bready or cake-like. Not melt-in-your-mouth good like the Angel Cookies. It's highly possible that I just overcooked them, so maybe I should give them a second chance.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. Thanksgiving at Kevin's brother's house. Entertaining my family on Friday. Brunch at my brother's house on Saturday. And cooking dinner on Sunday for Kevin's dad and family. My domestic diva skills are definitely going to be put to the test!

I'm not really going to try any new recipes for the weekend. Too much stress. I will be making the Artichoke Dip and Toffee Apple Dip for appetizers on Friday. I might make the crab dip if I get around to it. (Nic and Heather are also bringing appetizers, so I should be fine.) I'm wimping out and doing a Costco lasagna for dinner. (I'm working my way into this whole entertaining thing...and at less than $10 for two lasagnas, why would I even bother making them from scratch?) I am going to try a new recipe for one of the desserts, which I'll post soon. Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies...made with instant pudding mix. I had these cookies once many years ago, and they were the best. So I'm giving them a shot.

For brunch on Saturday, I'm making the Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Casserole that I posted yesterday. I made it a few months ago for a family breakfast, and everyone seemed to like it. I'll assemble it on Friday, send it home with my brother that night, and he can stick it in the oven on Saturday morning. So easy!

Sunday I think we're going to go with simple appetizers before dinner. Probably just a cheese & cracker plate, along with raw veggies and dip. I'm going to make the Stuffed Jumbo Shells, and I think I'll also make some of the Meat Stuffed Jumbo shells (I'll post the recipe later). I want to make fresh green beans, but I haven't found a good recipe for seasoning the beans. Hmm... And I have no idea what to do for dessert. Maybe we'll just buy a tiramisu cake or something like that. And hopefully I'll have some cookies left over too.

The only thing left to decide on is fancy drinks. I'm going to look up some martini recipes and other fun stuff online. Droogle is a great website for drink ideas. You can even list all the alcohol that's in your liquor cabinet, and it will come up with all the possible drink combinations for you. How cool is that? Just click on the "Liquor Cabinet" button on the site's homepage.

Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Recipe from Epicurious.

8 white bread slices, cut into cubes
1 pound bulk pork sausage, crumbled and cooked (we use chicken sausage)
1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
10 large eggs
2 cups milk (do not use lowfat or nonfat)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper

Grease 9x13-inch glass baking dish.
Place bread in prepared dish.
Top with sausage and cheese.
Beat together eggs and next three ingredients.
Season with pepper.
Pour over sausage mixture.
Chill. (Can be refrigerated overnight.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake casserole until puffed and center is set, about 50 minutes.
Cut into squares.

Serves 8 to 10.

Back on Track

Tonight Kevin and I made Stuffed Jumbo Shells for dinner. They turned out great! So easy! Maybe I'm not a complete disaster in the kitchen!

*UPDATE* Because Patrick is insisting on pictures, I've reposted the Stuffed Shells post with proof that I actually made it. I forgot to take one when the shells were still in the baking dish, so the presentation is a bit lacking. Sorry. You get the idea.

Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Taken from the back of the Ronzoni Jumbo Shells box.

1 pkg. (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells, uncooked
4 cups (2 lb) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (we used dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups (1 jar) pasta sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Mix together cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
In 13x9 inch baking dish, spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce.
Fill each cooked shell with about 1-1/2 tablespoons cheese mixture.
Layer one-half of the filled shells in prepared dish.
Spread one-half remaining sauce over shells.
Layer remaining filled shells over sauce.
Spread remaining sauce over shells.
Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Notes:
To make filling the shells easier, I put the cheese mixture into a ziploc bag and made a small cut in one of the bottom corners to squeeze the filling into each shell. We also added shredded mozzarella on top of the shells.

Toffee Apple Dip

8 ounce pkg. cream cheese (or the whipped version for easier mixing)
1/8 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (8 oz) package Heath Bar Toffee Bits (or 3-4 Heath Bars, chopped)

Mix together the cream cheese, white sugar & brown sugar.
Fold in the toffee bits.
Chill.

Serve with apple slices.

VARIATIONS:
You can play around with the amount of sugar you add. I've seen the same recipe with just a couple spoonfuls of brown sugar, or you can add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla for extra flavor. Basically, you just want the cream cheese to taste more like sugar than cheese.

NOTES:
The first time I had this dip was at a friend's bachelorette party. The hostess called it Diet Dip. It only took each of us one bite to realize that there is nothing "diet" about it...unless you count the apples.

My First Failure

Tonight I attempted to make Chicken Stuffing Casserole, which I found on Cooking with Christine. The recipe seemed easy enough that even I could make it. Apparently I had too much confidence in myself.

Kevin and I made the casserole and stuck it in the oven. While it was cooking, I looked back over the recipe and realized that I was supposed to actually cook the chicken before adding it to the mixture. I had completely missed that step.

So, when we go to check on the casserole after the 30 minutes are up, let's just say that it was a bit runny. Okay, it was a lot runny. All the extra liquid from the raw chicken hadn't quite cooked out. Yeah. Good times.

We drained what liquid we could from the casserole and stuck it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Kevin tried to reassure me that it was going to be just fine...as tears started forming in my eyes. (I'm not so good with failure.)

In the end, it wasn't horrible, or so Kevin says. I ate the first couple soggy bites and had to stop. After a glass of wine, I managed to eat a few more bites. Kevin ate the rest of the casserole...all of it. I don't know if he was just trying to be nice, if it really didn't taste all that bad, or if he just has a high tolerance for eating soggy dressing. Whatever the reason, I love him for it.

I'm not giving up this easily. I hate failure. So I'm going to try the recipe again. Maybe even next week. Just to make sure that I'm not as horrible at this cooking thing as I think I am.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Originally posted by Christine at Cooking with Christine.

4 cups dry stuffing mix
1-2 pounds cooked chicken (or turkey), cubed
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/4 cup flour
10 ounces chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
Add the celery, onion and carrots and saute until tender.
Add the flour and saute another minute.
Add the broth and milk. Heat to boiling, and stir continuously until thickened.
Add the chicken and the stuffing. Mix well.
Put mixture into an oven-safe casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and add shredded cheese.
Bake another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted.

Creamy Crab Dip

Recipe is from Cooking Light: Light and Easy Cookbook

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried dillweed
6 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, drained

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, stir well.
Stir in crabmeat. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

Serve with Melba rounds or fresh raw vegetables.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups.

Calories: 19
Fat: 1.0 grams
Protein: 1.7 grames
Carbs: 0.7 grams
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 110 mg
Fiber: 0.0 grams
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg

NOTES: I made this dip for my mom's birthday celebration last month, and everyone seemed to like it. We didn't have reduced-fat mayo, so we had to use the real stuff. It was SO easy to make.

Welcome!

Welcome to my Domestic Diva in Training blog!

Domestic...because this is the place where I'll be talking about my daily efforts to conquer the most basic things in life, including eating, drinking, exercise, managing money, and trying to organize it all so I still have time to have fun!

Diva...because I'm being optimistic about my future results.

In Training...because I have no idea what I'm doing at this moment.

This is a journal of my progress towards becoming a domestic diva. I'm going to try new recipes, hopefully filling up my very empty recipe box. I'm going to learn how to entertain like a pro. I'm going to figure out exactly what makes a great cocktail...so I can quit ordering boring Rum and Coke's when I go out. I'm going to get my ass in gear (and hopefully get said ass to fit into half the clothes in my closet that currently don't fit). I'm going to get myself and all my crap organized, so I have more time to have fun. And I'm going to figure out the best way to manage my family's finances, so we can afford to do the things we love.

Along the way, if you have any words of wisdom, advice, suggestions or encouragement, bring 'em on! Let the adventure begin!

Aimee's Quick Chicken

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 ounces dijon mustard
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Slather mustard evenly over chicken.
Pour teriyaki sauce evenly over all.
Sprinkle with bacon bits.
Cover with cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Calories: 260
Fat: 10.3 grams
Cholesterol: 82 mg
Sodium: 18884 mg
Carbs: 6.6 grams
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 grams
Protein: 35.2 grams

NOTE: I made this for dinner tonight. Both Kevin and I liked it. I made a couple slight modifications. Since I don't eat pork, we used Baco's bacon bits (which don't contain any meat product) instead of real bacon bits. I also substituted Yoshida's Gourmet sauce for teriyaki sauce. Next time I make it, I'm going to use less bacon bits (too much sodium) and bake the chicken at 350 degrees instead of 400 degrees. It turned out a bit dry. Other than that, it was a winner.

Crescent Chicken Rolls

2 cups cooked chicken, cubbed
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 chopped onion
Uncooked refrigerated crescent roll dough

Mix together cream cheese, milk, and salt & pepper.
Add chicken and onion.
Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles and seal perforations.
Put 1/2 cup chicken mixture in center of each rectangle.
Bring 4 corners of dough to center and seal.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

NOTE: I made these for dinner last night. I omitted the onions because I didn't think Kevin would like them, but I think I'll add the onions back in next time. It seemed a bit bland without them.