Southwest Pasta Salad

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Lunch, Main Dishes, Pasta, Salads

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Today I was looking for a yummy pasta salad to go with Lindsey’s Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches. It is so yummy!

Ingredients-

  • 2 cups mini pasta (measured when dry, I used shells but it would be great with mini bow tie pasta)
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 3/4 cup assorted sweet bell peppers*
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup red onion, (optional)
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro (~1/3 a bunch), finely chopped
Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons squeezed fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Method-

  1. Cook the pasta according to package direction. Add in the frozen corn about 1-2 minutes before the pasta is done.
  2. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water.
  3. Darin and rinse the black beans. Chop the peppers, I used 1/2 of a green pepper and 1/2 of a red pepper because that is what I had. Halve the cherry tomatoes. I seeded and chopped up two tomatoes because we were out of cherry tomatoes.
  4. Finely chop up the red onion and cilantro.
  5. Stir together the pasta, corn, black beans, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
  6. In a resealable jar, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Shake until combined. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Stir to combine. (You may not want to use all the dressing – so add it slowly. I used about half and saved the rest because i know it will need to be freshened up tomorrow. Anyway, it would be good on a green salad, too).
  7. To make ahead: mix all the ingredients and the dressing separate. Store in airtight containers in the fridge and then combine when ready to eat.

5 Minute Homemade Hot Fudge

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, Toppings

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This recipe is as easy as can be and so good on Brownie Sundaes.

1 stick of butter
8 T cocoa powder (I like dark)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 t vanilla

Bring butter and milk to a slow boil and then add in dry ingredients. Cook on low until it coats the back of a spoon (3 or 4 minutes). Add vanilla last. It stays good in the fridge for like, forever. Seriously. When everything else has spoiled this fudge sauce will still be good! Just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Chocolate Sauce

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, Toppings

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Ingredients

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk, chocolate chips and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat.

Stir in butter and vanilla until sauce is smooth and creamy. Cool about 30 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Store covered in refrigerator up to 4 weeks.

Soft Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

12 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by in Autumn, Cookies

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Autumn deliciousness!

Ingredients:

½ cup of butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
½ cup of pumpkin puree
¼ cup of molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ⅓ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method-

1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, mix until combined.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate cookie dough for one hour. The dough can remain in the refrigerator for up to three days.

3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet– 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. The cookies will still be soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes after removing them from the oven, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookie Monster’s Famous Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Comfort Food, Cookies, Uncategorized

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Cookie Monster

When Ally and James were little we collected a series of Sesame Street books from the grocery store. There was a new one each week for several weeks. At the time I thought this was the best sugar cookie recipe ever! I always used to go and get Volume 1 off the shelf when I made them. Then suddenly we didn’t have the books anymore and I couldn’t remember what had happened to them. I didn’t have a copy of the recipe either because the book was always so handy.  It may have been in the box of toys we lost when we moved from Clayton to Houston in 1996. The one that Kristina’s Treehouse and all the vintage Barbies were in. Or we could have donated them somewhere, forgetting about the recipe.

Anyway, I did not have a copy of the recipe and every time I went to make sugar cookies I missed this recipe! I do love the the sugar cookie recipe Allyson shared from her aunt, Melinda Colton. So today I clicked on a link to a chocolate chip cookie recipe on The Kitchn website (Yep, that’s how they spell it) and when I got to the bottom of the recipe I was interested in I saw these words, “So You Know: Cookie Monster’s Famous Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe.” And I actually got a bit excited as I clicked on the link, thinking, “Could it really be THE recipe after all these years.” Sure enough, there is an actual image of the page from the book! It is the recipe! Here is the recipe including The Kitchn’s tips for baking since they weren’t included in the book.

Ingredients-

3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Equipment-

Medium-sized mixing bowl
Measuring cup and spoons
A fork

Instructions-

1. Put 3/4 cup of butter or margarine (that’s a stick and a half) into your mixing bowl. (I would make this in my Kitchen Aid)

2. Measure 1 cup of sugar.

3. Pour sugar over butter.

4. With fork, squash butter and sugar together until they are blended.

5. Crack shells of two eggs and pour eggs over mixture in bowl.

6. Measure 1 teaspoon vanilla and pour over mixture.

7. With fork, blend everything in the bowl together.

8. Measure 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and pour over mixture in bowl.

9. Measure 1 teaspoon baking powder and sprinkle over flour.

10. Measure 1 teaspoon of salt and sprinkle over flour and baking powder.

11. Mix everything together either with the fork or with your hands.

12. Put dough in icebox to chill (at least one hour)

There are no instructions for baking from this print, but a quick search for others’ experiences with the recipe and recommendations say to roll out cookies 1/4 inch thick, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 400 degrees.

Genie Grandma’s Sugar Cookies

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Comfort Food, Cookies, Uncategorized

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So be warned…I have only made this recipe once and they turned out very dry, as in they were little Hockey Pucks! Now, that could be attributed to my poor cooking skills when I was in my twenties or it could be that they were never very good. I remember grandma telling me that the recipe was for drop cookies and she just added more flour.

I loved these cookies when I was young. Grandma made them only for Christmas and Easter and kept them until they were gone in a white Tupperware container.

Here is her recipe in her handwriting-

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Melinda Colton’s Sugar Cookies

04 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Cookies, Institute Treats

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Cream Together:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1-8 ounce package cream cheese

Add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Chill dough for one hour. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Toffee Dip for Apples

03 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Autumn, Desserts

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This is a wonderful fall treat…I love it with apples!

Ingredients-

1-8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 package Heath Bits (or you can chop up English Toffee bars instead 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips will work, too)
1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (depends on how sweet you like it)

I put everything in the bowl of my stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to combine everything. (I’m lazy like that) A great dip for sliced apples, pretzel rods or graham cracker sticks.

Greek Panzanella

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Salads

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From Aunt Laura Carruth– Whenever I show up somewhere with this salad everyone wants the recipe.

Olive oil
1 small French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and cubed
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved  (i just threw in a handful or two)
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds(i used like 1/4 of an onion)
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (i didn’t use that much,
i just got the already crumbled in a little container)
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes
and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing
frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive
oil as needed.
Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion
in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard,
vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still
whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. (i just put mine in
the blender)  Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta,
olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30
minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Sauces

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Another yummy recipe from “Aunt” Laura…

1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
3/4 C. ketchup
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, either pressed or minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Combine and simmer on stove 15-20 minutes until somewhat thick. Baste
and serve with chicken or steak. I’ve also used it on pork chops and
it’s great!