What I Think Snickerdoodle Cookies Should Be

This is what I envisioned for a Snickerdoodle Cookie.  I assumed that they consisted of chocolate, caramel and either pretzels or some peanuts, on what basis I have no idea.   That's just the way I played it out in my mind, having never had nor seen one.  Well, I was surprised when I looked up an actual recipe for one and found that I was dead wrong.  That the cookies did not consist of any of these things.  So, I decided to make it as I had imagined them, because truth be told the real ones sounded and looked unappealing to me.  I imagined some thick and moist cookie bars with huge clumps of chocolate pieces, crunchy salty little bits of pretzels and ooey gooey caramel threaded throughout.  I think that's what a Snickerdoodle Cookie should be. 

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of salt
1 cup of melted butter
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tsp. of real vanilla extract
2 Large eggs (at room temperature)
1 3/4 cups of chocolate chunks
1 cup of broken pretzel sticks (nice and tiny)
2 tsp. of caramel sauce (warmed up to drizzle)

-Preheat oven to 375*.  Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl.  In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.  Once creamy, beat in eggs 1 at a time (making sure to thoroughly combine before adding the next).  Stir in the flour mixture in small batches (making sure to completely mix it in before adding more). Then just stir in the chocolate chunks and broken pretzels.  Grease the sides and the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish and spread the dough out evenly in it.  Drizzle lightly with the caramel and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Makes about 3 dozen bars.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Thai Pasta

Yep, it's true.  This amazing pasta is made with peanut butter and therefore it so extremely good.  This one here is a favorite of my children.  Especially my two gorgeous step-daughters, Kalena and Kiley.  When I am making it for them, because they are both die-hard vegetarians, I swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.  I then exclude the turkey for additional veggies.  Once I even used fresh butternut squash cubed  up and sauteed in butter with some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  That worked great in there because it gave the dish substance while keeping it meat-free. 

6 oz. dried linguine

1 1/4 cups of frozen green beans/ yellow beans/ baby carrots (steamed in microwave)

1 turkey breast (baked/ sliced)

1- 8 oz. can of pineapple chunks (drained)

1/4 cup of chicken stock

2 heaping T. of creamy peanut butter

1 T. of low-fat soy sauce

1 T. of fresh lime juice

1/4- 1/2 tsp. of cracked red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove (minced)

-Cook pasta as directed for Au-dent' on the package.  Place the beans, carrots and sliced turkey in a large colander sitting in the sink.  Pour the hot water from the pasta over them to warm them up and drain.  Transfer veggies and turkey back to the original pan along with the pineapple chunks.  For the sauce, whisk together the peanut butter and the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once it has combined, add in the soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper flakes and the garlic.  Bring to a slight boil, remove and stir into the veggies and turkey.  Fold in pasta and serve immediately.  Serves 4.  Enjoy!

Fresh Roasted Garlic

What a difference this can make.  Just by roasting your garlic instead of sauteing it, you add so much more flavor and depth.  I think that it actually alters the garlic and brings out a natural sweetness that is otherwise unexposed.  And you can do so much with it.  I love to add it into my red sauces for pasta , smeared across a grilled steak or in with a roast in the slow-cooker.  You can even use it as a dip for crackers or veggies just by mixing it in with a little mayonnaise and sour cream.  It really is a flavor explosion.

1 whole tightly closed head of garlic
a little bit of extra virgin olive oil

-Preheat oven to 425*.  Slice about 1/4 - 1/2" off the top (pointed end)  of the garlic head.  This will slightly expose each individual clove.  Then, peel off the loose papery shell (you still want the head intact as a whole).  Place a decent sized square of aluminum foil into one of the cups of a muffin pan.  Place the garlic head in the foil lined cup with the cut-side facing up.  Drizzle the top with a little bit of e.v.o. and fold the extra foil inward loosely creating a tent (will keep it from burning).  Roast in the oven for 25-35 minutes.  It is ready once it feels soft and mushy when squeezed.  Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/user/JustCookingAway?feature=mhum

Almond Pound Cake

There's nothing better than a fresh loaf of pound cake.  It's so dense, moist and sweet it's hard to think that it's even considered a cake.  I think it's a cross somewhere between a cake, a muffin and a quick bread.  This particular pound cake is my most favorite.  I love the almond aroma and flavor that's in it, it goes great with any kind of topping.  You can try a caramel or chocolate sauce with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or any kind of sliced fruit and cool whip.  I think next time I will experiment with some canned peaches and maybe some homemade whip cream.....  Again, here's another recipe with endless combinations.

1/2 cup of real unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3 eggs (at room temperature)

3/4 cup of sour cream (at room temperature)

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. of baking powder

1/4 tsp. of baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of almond extract

-Preheat oven to 325*.  Grease and lightly flour a loaf pan; set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with a hand mixer.  Slowly beat in sugar.  Continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add in the almond extract.  Next, add in your eggs 1 at a time, making sure that each one is thoroughly combined (1 minute or so) before beating in the next one.  Start mixing in the flour mixture and the sour cream alternatively, each a little at a time (maybe 3 batches of each).  Lastly, pour your batter then into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Once the cake is done baking and completely cooled, wrap it well in saran wrap to keep moist.  Serves 8.  Enjoy!

Grandma's Grease Gravy

This is my childhood.  These are my memories of my Grandma Neva.  Summers and holidays spent deep in southwestern Missouri, high up in the Ozarks doing food the right way.  Waking up every morning to the heavenly aroma of breakfast meat and grease gravy.  And if it was over biscuits- that was special.  Frist day was always on biscuits, leftovers the next morning was always on ripped up white toast (my personal favorite way).  Until about the age of 12, I thought that everyone else in the world was mistaken on what "Biscuits and Gravy" was.  I can remember asking myself, "Why were making that thick white "flavorless" gravy?  Didn't they know that it's supposed to be brown?"  I had no idea that  Grandma was on to something with that gravy.  That other people did not even know about Brown Grease Gravy.  So, for my family, here is Grandma's recipe for her amazing Grease Gravy that is a part of all of our memories and childhoods.  Her secrets were using pancake mix instead of flour and water instead of milk.  These were just accidents in the beginning.  No milk-ok try using water.  No flour- ok I got some pancake mix.  Stretching a meal for a family of 7 and then for an extended family of many is no easy task.  But Grandma always made due with what she had.  And nobody ever went hungry.

1 lb. roll of sage breakfast sausage (sliced into patties)
4 T. of pancake mix (I use Bisquick)
2 1/4 cups of water (divided)
1 pkg. roll of biscuit dough (I used Grand's Flaky Layers)

-Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of sausage patties.  Once the sausage is fully cooked (no longer pink inside), remove to a paper towel covered plate to absorb grease; set aside.  Add pancake mix into the hot grease and stir well to create your rue.  Pour in 2 cups of water and whisk continuously while still cooking over medium-high heat (don't leave your gravy unattended-it will get lumpy or even burn).  Your gravy will begin to thicken after you reach the boiling point.  Once it does and becomes nice and frothy, reduce your heat to low and still keep stirring it well.  Meanwhile, bake your biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are a deep golden color.  Once you are ready to start plating it up, if your gravy is too thick- you can stir in that last 1/4 cup of water.  Serve biscuits and sausage with some scrambled eggs and a healthy pour of gravy covering it all.  That's how Grandma made it, so that's how I'm making it. Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!

Fresh Turkey Salad Sandwiches

Ever wonder what to do with the leftovers from Thanksgiving?  Usually by the third night, I can not handle anymore of the reheating.  But, this is a whole new fresh way to get rid of the scraps.  I always have leftover turkey, celery and cranberries from a turkey dinner.  And there is never a time in our house when we don't have apples and grapes.  So, this one is our new favorite leftover turkey dinner.

2-3 cups of cooked chopped turkey breasts (I just used leftovers)

1/3 cup of real mayo

1/4 tsp. of dried basil

juice from 1/2 of a lemon (remember to roll the lemon on the counter top w/ the palm of your hand to loosen the juices prior to cutting/ squeezing)

3 slices of a granny smith apple (diced)

1 slice of a red onion (diced)

2 ribs of celery (sliced)

a handful of dried cranberries

handful of red grapes (rinsed, then sliced in 1/2)

Romaine lettuce leaves
wheat sandwich rolls

-Combine the first nine ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  Split rolls and stuff with turkey salad and some lettuce.  Makes 4 sandwiches.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Cream Muffins

I am forever looking for different ways to use my leftover fresh produce.  And most of the time it's in my baking if I can.  That is how these cranberry muffins evolved.  They are both sweet and a little bit tart.  Two great additives for these moist muffins.  I have also used this same recipe, but with fresh cherries and fresh blueberries.  It is just wonderful every which way so far.

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 T. real unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 tsp. real vanilla extract

1 cup of sour cream

1 1/4 cup of fresh cranberries (halved)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 T. sugar

-Preheat oven to 350* and grease the entire muffin pan (always just in case they rise over the cups). Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; using a fork,cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into dry mixture and thoroughly combine. Add in the sour cream and stir well; gently fold in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin pan; sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes at least 12.  Enjoy!