Chocolate Chip Angel Cookies

This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I grew up on, and honestly, I haven't found one that comes close to being as good. I made a batch on Christmas Eve and they've now received Kevin's seal of approval too. I'm now officially ending my search for the best chocolate chip cookie and sticking to the original. Sometimes you just shouldn't mess with tradition.



















2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside. Beat together the butter, shortening and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Add chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take them out of the oven before they look completely done and before they get brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Russian Tea Cakes

These are one of my favorite cookies, especially during the holidays. If made correctly, they should melt in your mouth. Just don't do what a friend of mine did and pop the entire thing in your mouth. You'll be chewing for days, that is if you don't pass out from inhaling all the powdered sugar. That being said, enjoy!

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts work great)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

Mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt, and nuts until the dough holds together. Shape into one inch balls and place about one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set but not brown. Roll in powdered sugar while warm and let cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Yields 4 dozen cookies.

Herbed Cheese and Cracker Bits

I first had these at my family's annual golf tournament last summer.
I decided to give them a shot for Christmas, and they were devoured within hours. Everyone loved them! The recipe is from Paula Deen.

2 (10 oz) boxes Ritz Bitz Cheese Sandwiches
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (1 oz) package salad dressing mix (Hidden Valley Original Recipe)
1 heaping tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt

Place crackers in a large, sealable container (I used a large Ziploc freezer bag). In a bowl, mix the oil, salad dressing mix, dill, garlic powder, and celery salt. Pour this mixture over the crackers, cover the container, and invert it to coat the crackers with seasoning.

Refrigerate at least 24 hours, turning the container every so often to keep the crackers coated. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Notes: After 24 hours the crackers were a little too oily, so I spread them out on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Next time I'll store the crackers in a brown paper bag for the first 24 hours, allowing the bag to absorb the extra oil.

Variations: I've seen a similar recipe using oyster crackers instead of Ritz. The recipe can be found on the Hidden Valley website.

Easy Sugar Cookies

I was pleasantly surprised with how good these cookies turned out, especially when they were still warm. They reminded me of fresh-baked Otis Spunkmeyer sugar cookies. I made the mistake of flattening the dough balls on the first sheet to go in the oven, so the cookies turned out a little too thin and a little hard. For the second sheet, I rolled the dough in sugar, including red and green colored sugar to make them a bit more festive for Christmas. The cookies still flattened on their own, but not nearly as much as the first batch. Make sure you don't over-bake them.

2-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Yields: 48 cookies
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.

Food Photography

I've never really given much thought to food photography. That is, until I started this blog. I had no idea how extremely hard it is to take a good picture of food. Now, I do understand that some of my problem may be the fact that my food just isn't all that visually appealing, so I'm already at a disadvantage. But man, I can sure make a semi-decent looking meal look horrible through the lens of a camera. For one particular meal, my husband suggested that a sprig of parsley might help it look better. A sprig of parsley? Since when do we have fresh parsley just waiting to be placed artfully on the side of a dinner plate? Honestly, I don't think I've ever purchased fresh parsley. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even had dried parsley. (See the honesty starting to ooze out of me. This is why I'm only a domestic diva in training. I have a long way to go.) But I digress...

I've been reading a few other food blogs out there in cyberspace, and there are some amazingly talented photographers among the bunch...not to mention their food! I'm in awe. Seriously, some of these pictures are venturing down the lane of food porn. Simply sinful looking...and I can't stop from drooling. So, since I obviously lack the magical clicking ability to capture food in an appetizing way (and I'm truly sorry for that), I thought I would pass along a few sites that DO offer a wonderful visual experience in the art of food photography.

Delicious Days
Orangette
Simply Recipes
The Scent of Green Bananas
101 Cookbooks
Chocolate & Zucchini

Ya-Ya Christmas Party

So the Ya-Ya Christmas party on Saturday was a blast. Since I had everyone bring food, it meant I didn't have to be in the Kitchen all morning getting ready for the party. That was nice.

As my contribution to the party, I made Artichoke Dip (of course). I forgot to add the garlic powder so it was a little bland. Oh well. Kevin and I also made Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs. Since there are a few vegetarians in the group, I used meatless meatballs and they turned out great. The sauce sounds a bit strange, but it really does taste good...and it couldn't be much easier to make. I also found a recipe for Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chip Cookies, so I had to give them a try. They turned out great, but I don't think they tasted anything like the real Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Darn! But they were better than the Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies that I made a while back.

Nicole brought a really yummy appetizer, Baked Gouda. It was so goud! (Get it... "goud"...sheesh, I'm a dork.) I might have to make it for Christmas.

I am now officially done with entertaining for the year. WOOHOO! It was fun, but it sure is exhausting. The first thing I'm going to do when I get home for Christmas is give my mom a big hug and thank her for 30 years of cooking for me! I had no idea how much work it can be...and now I understand why she was always a little frazzled at Christmas.

Baked Gouda

1 (4 oz) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8 oz) Gouda round
Dijon mustard

Flatten crescent rolls to form square. Pinch all perforations together. Spread with mustard.

Peal off the wax covering from cheese and place in the center of the dough. Fold up the edges and seal.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes (until lightly browned). Let stand 5 minutes. Place on a cheese board and cut into wedges to serve. (Or you can keep it whole and serve it with crackers and apple slices.)

Variation: Substitute fruit preserves for the Dijon mustard.

Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped English walnuts (optional)

Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl and mix with a whisk. Set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, melt butter and shortening in the microwave, stopping every 15 minutes to stir. Stop when the mixture is more of a paste (usually about 45-60 seconds).

Pour the butter mixture over the sugar, brown sugar, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat well. Add each egg separately, beating until creamy. Add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, while beating. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in a covered bowl.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough onto a wax paper-lined air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoons.

Bake 10-12 minutes, checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance. (Cookies may not look all the way done on top, but if bottom is golden brown they are done.)

Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface. Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Variation:
Omit the chocolate chips and walnuts and substitute with 2 cups white chocolate chunks and 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.

Notes: I didn't have wax paper or air-bake cookie sheets, and the cookies still turned out fine. I removed them after 8 minutes of cooking and let them sit on the sheet for another 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. I was really hoping that this recipe would taste similar to the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that are baked fresh in those cute little Otis Spunkmeyer ovens, but I was sorely disappointment. They didn't taste anything like Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Although the entire batch did get eaten, I won't be making this recipe again.

Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs

3 packages frozen cocktail meatballs, thawed (we used meatless)
2 (12 oz) jars chili sauce (Heinz)
1 (24 oz) jar grape jelly

In a large saucepan, combine chili sauce and grape jelly and heat thoroughly. Add meatballs. Cook on low for 20 minutes. Serve.

Notes: We heated the chili sauce and grape jelly directly in the slow cooker on high and then added the frozen meatballs. The meatballs were ready in about one hour.

Makes about 72 meatballs.

Smith and Wesson

1 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua
1 oz light cream
Coke

Pour vodka, Kahlua, and cream into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top off with Coke. Serve.

Oreo Speedwagon

2 oz Kahlua
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
3 Oreo cookies, crushed

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve.

Bellini Cocktail

4 oz chilled champagne
2 oz peach schnapps

Combine in champagne flute and serve.
Option: Use peach juice instead of peach schnapps.

Black Russian

2 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua

Pour vodka and Kahlua into old-fashioned glass filled with ice and serve.

White Russian

2 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua
light cream

Pour vodka and Kahlua into old-fashioned glass filled with ice.
Top with light cream and serve.

Blue Lagoon

1 oz vodka
1 oz blue curacao liqueur
lemonade
cherry

Pour vodka and curacao into a highball glass filled with ice.
Fill with lemonade. Garnish with cherry and serve.

Fuzzy Navel

RECIPE #1
1-1/2 oz peach schnapps
orange juice

Pour peach schnapps into highball glass filled with ice.
Top with orange juice. Stir and serve.

RECIPE #2
1 part peach schnapps
1 part orange juice
1 part lemonade

Mix equal parts of each ingredient in a highball glass.
Top with ice and serve.

Mixology

I am becoming a student of mixology. That's right. Mixing drinks is apparently a fine art, and I plan on mastering it. (I also plan on using myself as the test subject for this lesson.)

In the next few days, I'll be adding lots of mixed drink recipes to my blog. Gone are the days of the boring rum & coke. For here on out, I'll be drinking Blue Lagoons, Fuzzy Navels, and Smith & Wessons.

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken

(Please do not judge this recipe on looks alone. Kevin nicknamed it slop, but it definitely tasted better than that! It just has a very thick gravy, so it doesn't really photograph well.)



4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 potatoes, cubed
2 cups baby carrots (or other veggies you like)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or any cream soup you have on hand)
1 (1 oz) package dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
Seasonings of your choice for added flavor (I added minced garlic)

Put the chicken, potatoes and vegetables into a slow cooker. Combine the soup, water, dry soup mix and seasonings. Pour over chicken. Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

I ate this like a stew in a soup bowl. Kevin opted for less of the liquid and ate it on a plate. It can also be served over rice.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie

My SIL Heather made this pie for a family dinner a couple weeks ago. It's quite rich, but very good...and easy!

25 caramels
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 (6 oz) Graham Pie Crust
1 package (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip French Vanilla Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Place caramels in medium microwaveable bowl. Add milk. Microwave on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust.

Microwave chocolate in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring after each minute. Add 2 cups of the whipped topping; stir with wire wisk until well blended. Spread evenly over caramel layer in crust.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Let stand at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Top with the remaining whipped topping.

Note: To make it not as rich, reduce the amount of chocolate used, and add a bit more whipped topping to the pie filling.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced (optional)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
1 cup mayonnaise (low-fat okay)
1/2 cup white sugar (or less)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, cool, crumble, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, cheese and bacon.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Pour the dressing mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat. Let chill and serve.

Other add-in options: chopped red or green onion, raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds, and peas. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon curry to the dressing for a slightly different flavor. If you aren't a fan of cauliflower, you can use 2 extra cups of broccoli instead.

Serves 8.
Ready in 30 minutes.

Notes: My SIL Cheryl made a similar salad for Thanksgiving, and I loved it. I found a variety of recipes on Allrecipes, and combined bits and pieces of them to create my own recipe. Apparently, it's also called St. Louis Salad.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
348 Calories
28.2g Total Fat
6.7g Saturated Fat
84mg Cholesterol
415mg Sodium
15.7g Carbohydrates
1.2g Fiber
13.8g Sugar
8.5g Protein

Mexican Corn and Bean Soup

This is a recipe from one of my favorite Bellingham restaurants, the Colophon Cafe.

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz each) red kidney beans, drained
1 can (24 oz) vegetable juice (like V8)
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound frozen corn (or canned)

In a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and vegetable juice.
In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, sugar cumin and pepper.
Add hot water to the mixture until it is paste-like. Add to soup.
Add corn.
Simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 6-8.

Coupon Savings

In my attempt to waste less money and get the most out of our budget, I've become a coupon clipping junkie. Taking the lead from fellow Bloggers like Traci, I've become a big fan of the coupon. In fact, the only reason that we get the Sunday newspaper is for the ads and coupons. Our subscription was up for renewal about a month ago, and I seriously considered canceling it. It's only a dollar a week, but it seemed like a big waste of paper. We never actually *read* the paper. The following week, I spent about 30 minutes going through the ads and clipping coupons. We went to the store later that day and ended up saving over $10 just in manufacturer's coupons! After that, I decided that the newspaper was essentially paying for itself. I've been converted.

So to increase my coupon clipping knowledge, I've been scouring the internet for help. I can across an article from MSN Money called Secrets of Superstar Grocery Shoppers. In case you don't want to read the full article, here are the highlights.
- Match coupons with good sales at the grocery store, increasing your overall savings.
- Stock up when items are on sale...and buy a deep freezer!
- Subscribe to the Sunday paper to take advantage of all the coupons.
- Donate any extra or unused non-perishable items to charity.

RELATED WEBSITES
Boodle
Coupon Mom
There is a really cool section of this website where it matches weekly sale items from your local grocery store to current coupons available from the Sunday newspaper, helping you save even more. Just click on "Grocery Deals By State."
The Grocery Game
SmartSource