Checkerboard Cookies!

Checkerboard Cookies
From: Holiday Cookies 2001

Though they look complicated, these tender cookies are easy to make if you use a ruler. To ensure an even design, measure the strips of dough carefully. The dough can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated, or frozen for several weeks.
Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
* 1 large egg

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.
2. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.
3. Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
4. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Stole this one from Holly. Yummy!


Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salad oil
1 can (29 oz.) red enchilada sauce
Salt
12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat jack cheese (8 oz.)
Chopped fresh cilantro



Preparation
1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, stir turkey, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin in oil until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese.

3. Bake in a 425° regular or convection oven until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Yield

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 249(20% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 3.1g); PROTEIN 27g; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; SODIUM 1048mg; FIBER 1.7g; CARBOHYDRATE 23g

Pumpkin Butter Gooey Cake

Pumpkin Butter Gooey Cake

Another recipe I've stolen from Jori.

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I stole this one from Jori. :) Looks delish!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sauce:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/4 c. ketchup
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp accent
1/2 c. crushed pineapple

Beat 2 eggs, dip chicken into eggs and roll in corn starch. Brown chicken slightly, put in pan, add sauce cook slowly for an 1 hr. Serve over rice. You can use pork instead of chicken. You can also put in carrots and peppers.

Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks

I stole this one from Heather. :) I absolutely love Pumpkin with Chocolate. And I've always wanted a recipe for something like this. Looks super easy too! I can't wait to make it!

Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks

1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, divided
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped (I use chocolate chips)
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 Tbsp. sugar



PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
MIX remaining cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of cooled cake. Cut into 16 slices to serve.


Heather posted it again, and added the following bolded tips:


1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix **must be Dunkin Heinz-I have used a yellow cake mix because that's what I had, and added extra cinnamon and all-spice, it's just as good-but I'm partial to the Dunkin Heinz mix!**
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, divided **I use 1 and 1/2 bars of cream cheese, I follow the directions for the cake portion (the 1/2 goes into the cake), but I double the frosting so a full bar of cream cheese goes into the frosting, sooooo, it's extra tasty**
1 cup canned pumpkin **I have been using the large marge can of pumpkin and adding a little bit extra-just cuz I like it really moist (love that word) but you can add just the one can of the regular sized pumpkin and be just fine**
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped **I throw in chocolate chips-several hand fulls**
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping **there will be no Cool Whip in my house, not really I have made it with Cool Whip and it's good, but making the REAL whipping cream (don't forget to make a full cup of it because like I said before I double the frosting) is so much better than the Cool Whip and it's really not hard to do-that's all I'll do from now on!**
2 Tbsp. sugar

Thanks for the tips Heather!

Spam Veggie Pita Pockets

I get the most interesting recipes from Gmail. Whenever I empty my Spam box, They give me a spam recipe at the top. This week it was Spam Veggie Pita Pockets. Enjoy!


* Exported from MasterCook *

SPAM VEGGIE PITA POCKETS

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sandwiches

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed
-(7 oz)
1 c Chopped broccoli
1 c Chopped cauliflower
1 Tomato, chopped
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1/3 c Chopped cucumber
1/3 c Finely chopped onion
1/2 c Italian salad dressing
4 Pita pocket breads, halved

STATE FAIR RECIPE Carol Green, Austin, MN.
In bowl, combine SPAM, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, carrot,
cucumber, and onion. Toss with dressing. Cover and chill several
hours. Spoon salad mixture into pocket bread.

Homemade Oreos

I like to call these Hayley's Homemade Oreos. She made them in college some 8 years or so ago, and I've honestly thought of them quite a bit since then. I LOVE them. Can't wait to make them again! SOON too I hope! She just posted them, and so I stole the recipe! MUAHAHAHA! I can almost TASTE them!

Hayley's Homemade Oreos

Cookies:
2 devil food cake mixes
1 ¼ cup plain Crisco
4 eggs

Filling:
2 ¾ cup powdered sugar
1-8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 TBS Vanilla
¼ cup butter

Use something that is the same size to measure them out. Between a tsp and Tbs in size. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.

Zucchini Bread

Shara picked up like 3 GIANT Zucchinis last night, she paid all of $1.25 for them AND 2 yellow squashes (zucchini cousins)... So she said if I wanted to make zucchini bread, that I could go ahead and do it. Jamie made it once AGES ago in Utah when Mom had like 5 zucchnini plants, and we literally had zucchini's coming out of our ears! We also had some nice fried zucchini. Yumma. Anyway, if anyone needs me I'll be making bread! ;)

Zucchini Bread IV
Submitted by: Kristen
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 365 members
Prep Time: 15 Minutes ~ Cook Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes ~ Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Yields: 24 servings

"You'll get two loaves of classic zucchini bread, sweet and cinnamon-spicy. This is a definite crowd-pleaser."

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ( 165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

This recipe appears in the Allrecipes "Tried & True Favorites" cookbook. Buy it online at http://www.shopallrecipes.com/

Pasta With Bacon, Onion, Tomato and Bay Leaves

Last September, when I was staying with Shara, we were watching Rachel Ray, and saw the following recipe. We decided to try it out. Neither of us are the type to try stuff out we see on tv, especially somewhat complex recipies... but we were feeling crazy, so we did it. Turns out, it was pretty darn good! Seeing this recipe on her desktop, in a word document again, really makes me want to eat it again! Anyway, its awesome and I love it. Sorry there's no picture. Enjoy it anyway!


Pasta With Bacon, Onion, Tomato and Bay Leaves

Ingredients
1 pound rigatoni with lines
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
8 slices pancetta, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmigano Reggiano, plus some to pass at the table
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (about a handful)


Preparation

Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring up to a boil. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and reserve.

While the pasta water is coming up to a boil, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Once hot, add the pancetta and cook until crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onion, bay leaf and garlic, and continue to cook for about 3-4 more minutes. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes, bring up to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl, top with the sauce and the cheese and toss to coat. Serve with some cheese to pass at the table.
Yields 4 servings

Magleby's "Syrup"

I've totally and completely stolen this entire post (as follows) from my sister in law, Amy, because it was so very well put, and I couldn't have put it any better myself. :) (Thanks Amy!)

Buttermilk Syrup (the kind you get at Magleby's Fresh)
I am posting this recipe on my blog so that I don't lose it, plus I think more people need to know about this syrup. It is a trillion times better than any pancake/waffle syrup you have ever tried. I first had this syrup at Magleby's Fresh in Provo, Ut. It is a tradition for us to go there for there all-you-can-eat french toast in the morning for $4.95. Incredibly yummy! With their french toast they serve this buttermilk syrup that is fantastic. You must try it and let me know what you think!

Buttermilk Syrup
1/2 cup real butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. light corn syrup
3/4 cup buttermilk

Cook these ingredients in a saucepan until boiling, then add:
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla

Frog Eye Salad

Jamie made this for the fam the other day, and it was so good. Recipie from cooks.com.

FROG EYE SALAD

Cook Acini Di Pepe macaroni: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill.

3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple shown below)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice

In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave). Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.
Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe. Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled. Add the following:


2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows

Stir lightly. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8-10.

Spicy Spam Kebabs

Ok, so this is a recipe for the Hawaiians out there. Spam is like the be all and end all to pretty much every meal and or snack time in Hawaii. It IS an aquired taste (a taste I miss actually), but in Hawaii, you gotta eat the SPAM! :) Just found this recipe from an advertising link in my gmail. How do they know I like spam?



SPICY SPAM KABOBS

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main dish

1/4 c. Lemon juice
3 tb. Minced onion
1 tb. Olive oil
1 t. Dried leaf thyme
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. Whole oregano leaves
1/4 t. Red pepper flakes
16 Pea pods
1 cn. Pineapple chunks packed in light juice, drained (8 oz)
1 cn. SPAM Luncheon Meat, cut into 24 cubes (12 oz)
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1″ pieces
4 c. Hot cooked rice

Combine first 7 ingredients in 9x12″ dish. Wrap pea pods around
pineapple chunks. Alternately thread SPAM cubes, pineapple chunks,
and bell pepper pieces on eight skewers. Place in dish with marinade.
Cover and marinade 2 hours, turning occasionally. Grill kabobs over
medium-hot coals 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Or, broil 5″ from
heat source 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve with hot cooked
rice.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

No-Knead Bread

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

No kneading is an idea I can definitely get on board with! I likey!

Apple-Raisin Betty

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

Doesn't this just look awesome? It looks so incredibly simple too! Yum!

Hearty Beef and Barley Soup

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

I adore barley. My husband puts barley in his turkey soup (which he of course, has no recipe for) and it is awesome! So I love the idea of barley in a good soup!

Marmalade Meatballs

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

Looks like an excellent Meatball recipe for pot lucks or a casual party.

Ginger Chicken

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

5-quart slow cooker:

Tamale Pie

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

Can't wait to try this one! Although, you have NO IDEA how hard it is for me to find Mexican food (like canned green chilies, and sometimes even corn tortilias) in Canada! It looks good though!

Turkey Day Casserole

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

This looks like a great Thanksgiving meal. OR even a great leftovers meal. I'm sure you could use roasted turkey instead of ground turkey. I definitely want to try this!

Mango Barbecued Chicken

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

4-5-quart slow cooker

Creamy Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

Again, I cut off the part where it says to cook this in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Five-Spice Beef Stew

The following recipe is from:
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade® Slow cooler recipes© Cookbook.
Click the photos to make them larger.

Which, by the way, is an amazing cook book, with awesome pictures. The next few posts will be from this cookbook.

Five-Spice Beef Stew

I accidently cut off the part where it says to cook this in a 4-5 quart slow cooker.

My Recipe Box

I love to cook.

Ok, so maybe I don't love it, but I love food. I do enjoy baking, and especially eating the treats. This blog will be dedicated to a bunch of recipies I've found over the years. If I've tried it, I'll tell you so. If my husband hates it, I'll tell you so. If I love it, and will eat it again, and again, you can bet I'll tell you so.

I love borrowing recipe books from the library, especially ones with pictures! Having said that, my husband is an AMAZING cook. Sometimes I can show him a recipe, with or without the picture, and if he has any interest in it, he'll take the ingredients and make them his own. He also has a very special talent where he can taste something, and say "it needs a pinch of marjoram". I couldn't even tell you what marjoram is, but I would love to learn. Crappy thing is, he doesn't like me in the kitchen when he's cooking. So, maybe I can teach myself, or take a cooking class sometime. But for now, I'll put a collection of recipies here. :)

Aloha!