Sugar Cookies

It's about time I get this recipe on here! This is my favorite recipe for roll out sugar cookies. I just used it this week to make stained glass cookies and it worked great! It's very easy dough to work with. Top with your favorite frosting or not at all. 

Sugar Cookies
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsps vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, and vanilla and beat until well combined.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix until dough comes together.
4. Divide the dough in 1/2 and wrap each ball in a piece of plastic wrap. Press down to form a disk. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
6. While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F.
7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured flat work surface to about ¼-inch thickness, using extra flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Use cookie cutters to create desired shapes, and transfer to parchment covered baking sheet
8. Bake at 375°F until puffy but not visibly browned, about 7-8 minutes (depending on thickness). Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Repeat with remaining dough.

Frost when cooled. Makes about 24-36 cookies.

Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie at Kneaders last week. When I got home I decided to look up a copycat recipe, and what did I find??? THE ACTUAL RECIPE from the KNEADERS WEBSITE! So here it is straight from the source. They are soft and cake-like. You're welcome.

Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

kneaders.com 
1¾ cups butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs, slightly whisked
2 cups pumpkin puree
4 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until butter starts to lighten and mixture becomes fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin puree. Mix for one minute on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients to evenly distribute the leavener. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed for one minute. Fold the chocolate chips in by hand.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll into 2-inch balls, or use a cookie scoop. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze up to 3 months. Makes about 40 cookies

English Fruit Scones

I love scones! Especially scones slathered with clotted cream and jam. These are the perfect traditional fruit scone. This recipe is like the scones served in the Highclere castle tearoom (according to Lady Carnarvon). I had one of those scones 2 years ago when I visited Highclere Castle. I followed the recipe as written and ended needing to make a few changes. I changed the medium egg to a large, used regular sugar instead of caster sugar, and added a little milk (original recipe in link above). You want a slightly sticky dough, so add the milk/egg a little at a time until the dough comes together and doesn't fall apart, but don't make it too sticky (you need to be able to work with it). You might use all the milk and you might need a little more. The leftover milk/egg mixture is brushed on the tops of the scones before baking. Milk helps the scones to brown. If you use all the milk mixture just brush some milk on the tops. Now lets talk a little out how to eat it. There are 2 traditional ways, the Cornish way and the Devon way. The Cornish way (originated in Cornwall) is jam on the bottom, clotted cream on the top. The Devonshire way (eaten in the county of Devon) is to spread cream first and then the  jam. I have had it both ways, and I'm not sure which I prefer. I like to be able to spread the cream kind of like butter and then add jam on the top, but there's something about a big dollop of clotted cream that I love! Apparently the Queen prefers the Cornish way. Which way do you prefer your scone?

English Fruit Scones
adapted from Highclere Chef Paul Brooke-Taylor's recipe
7 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter, cubed
2/3 cup sugar
5 1/4 TBSPs baking powder
1 large egg
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup golden raisins, currants, or sultanas (aka raisins)

1. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F
2. Dust two baking trays with flour and place in the fridge.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
4. Add the egg to the milk and pour just enough of it into the flour mixture to form a sticky, soft dough (see my notes at the top). Stir until dough comes together. Add the golden raisins to the dough and mix in to evenly distribute.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or worktop and quickly and gently shape it into a round about 3/4 inches thick. Handle the dough as little as possible. Using a 2 1/2 inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Place rounds on the chilled, floured baking tray and brush each scone lightly with some of the remaining milk/egg mixture (if none remains brush with milk). Reshape dough and cut again, repeating until all dough has been used.
6. Bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Put a clean tea towel on a wire rack. Lift the scones off the baking tray with a palette knife, transfer to the tea towel and wrap the towel around the scones. These scones are best eaten warm, soon after baking, and are fabulous with clotted cream, jam. They also freeze well. Makes about 25 scones.

Cheesy Mexican Chili

I tweaked my taco soup recipe and came up with a cheesy version! This is very versatile. You can really add whatever you like...switch the beans, take them out, add more corn, add more meat, more chiles. My local grocery store has it's own brand of cream soups and one of them is cream of poblano. If you can't find that just substitute it for a different cream soup. Warning: There is nacho cheese sauce in this chili. A whole can of it. Instead of real cheese, which would just make it stringy, or a block of Velveeta, I decided to try good ole' canned nacho cheese, and I really like how it turned out! You could substitute a different cheese if the can scares you.

Cheesy Mexican Chili

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 cup onion, diced

2 cups beef broth

1 (10 ounce) can cream of poblano soup (if you can't find this substitute cream of chicken, potato, or onion)

1 (15.5) oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.25oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (14.5) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (1.25oz) pkt taco seasoning 

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 (15oz) can nacho cheese sauce

1 cup sour cream

Optional garnish: sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, green onion

1. Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a slow cooker.

2. Add the broth, cream soup, beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. 1 hour before serving, stir in the cheese sauce and sour cream and continue to cook on low until ready to serve.

Top with desired garnish and serve with cornbread or corn chips.

Pizza Rolls

I've tried a few different ways to make pizza rolls. I even have another recipe on my blog, but this is my new favorite. You make them just like cinnamon rolls. The dough is rolled out into a big rectangle, then you layer with sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. I use a homemade pizza dough recipe you can find here. I like to add a little ranch and crushed red pepper flakes to the top of mine when eating, kinda like frosting. :) My kids like to take them to school in their lunches too.

Pizza Rolls
2 lbs pizza dough (I use this recipe here)
1 cup pizza or marinara sauce
1 6oz pkg of pepperoni slices
2 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella or preferred cheese, divided
2 TBSPs melted butter
Garlic salt and Italian seasoning (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lightly flour work surface and roll pizza dough into rectangle about 20in x 14in. Spread pizza sauce on the dough all the way to the edges. Place pepperoni slices on the sauce in a single layer. Fit as many on there as you want. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese over the pepperoni.
3. Starting from the long end, roll up dough like cinnamon roll dough. I start I one side and roll it just a little then switch to the other side and roll it up to match the other side. Then once I have a good log I can roll it all together at once. If pepperoni or cheese slips out just tuck it back in. It might look messy, but will still taste good! Using a sharp serrated knife, slice into 1 1/2 in discs. You should have about 14 rolls. Place on prepared baking sheet, slice side up. Again you can tuck in some cheese or pepperonis here if they have fallen out.
4. Brush tops with melted butter, then season lightly with garlic salt and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, if desired. Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of cheese of the rolls.
5. Place in oven and bake 22-27 minutes. Rolls are done when crust is lightly browned and cheese and sauce are bubbly.

 Topped with a drizzle of ranch and sprinkled with crushed red pepper flakes.

Muddy Buddies

We love to make Muddy Buddies! You can do everything with just a bowl, microwave, and large ziplock bag, which makes this a very kid friendly recipe. Ready to eat in just a few minutes!

Muddy Buddies
chex.com
9 cups Rice Chex™, Corn Chex™ or Chocolate Chex™ cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1.  Measure cereal and pour into large bowl; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy

This is my new Sunday roast recipe. It's just like having roast beef except it's pork and it's makes it's own gravy in the slow cooker! I like to use thick cut boneless pork chops because they shred so nicely. The recipe says to season the chops before putting them in the slow cooker, but I have tried just mixing all seasonings together with the soup and broth and then adding the pork, and it works just fine.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy
adapted from thesaltymarshmallow.com
2-3 lbs pork chops, bone-in or out
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 10.5oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 TBSPs cornstarch
2 TBSPs water

1. Season both sides of the pork chops with the ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and pepper
2. In a large slow cooker whisk together the brown gravy mix, cream of chicken soup, and beef broth. Add the seasoned pork chops to the slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Remove the pork chops carefully from the slow cooker onto a plate.
4. Strain liquid to remove any remaining chunks and pour into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. While liquid is heating, in small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water. Once the liquid has reached a low boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk until gravy thickens. Remove from heat when thickened. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice and garnish with parsley if desired.

Pizza Dough

This is my go to pizza crust recipe. It's adapted from a recipe my brother uses. It makes almost exactly 2 lbs of dough so I usually divide it into 2 balls for 2 large pizzas. We like to grill our pizzas out on the grill at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. We preheat our grill with a pizza stone on it. I roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper, top with sauce, cheese, and toppings and then transfer it paper and all to the pizza stone with a long handled pizza peel. It's our favorite way to make pizza. You can also bake it in the oven at 450 for about 8-10 min just until the cheese starts to brown. The dough rises for a total of at least 5 1/2 hours, so I usually start making it about 11am for dinner that night. This picture is a double recipe after the first rise, and I'm just getting ready to divide it into balls.

Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsps salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast
4 cups flour

1. In a large bowl add warm water and salt. Stir until salt dissolves. Sprinkle yeast on top of the water and let it sit for about a minute. Stir yeast into the water. Add 4 cups of flour and stir with wooden spoon until dough begins to come together. With a little flour on your hands knead the dough in the bowl a few times to create one big mixed lump of dough. Leave the bowl on the counter, uncovered, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
2. After 20 minutes, remove dough from the bowl and place on floured surface. Knead dough for one minute. The dough should be very smooth. Brush clean large bowl with oil and place the dough into the bowl. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.
3. After rising, remove dough from bowl and place on a floured surface. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces (you can use a scale for this). This should give you 2 one pound portions of dough. Shape pieces into 2 tight balls being careful not to tear the dough. Place the dough balls onto lightly floured dinner plates. Lightly flour the tops and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours until ready to use.

 Dough balls ready for 2nd rise. 

Dough balls all finished rising.

Ready to roll out for pizza.

Here's a shot of the crust. Chewy but crispy on the outside.

Coronation Chicken

I've visited England twice and both times I've had coronation chicken. The first time I tried it was 2 years ago in a tea sandwich at the Orangery Restaurant in Kensington Gardens. Just a couple of months ago I had it at a cafe down the street from Rochester Castle and Cathedral. It was served on a baguette. Then 2 days later, I had it again at coaching inn/pub called The Hen and Chicken in Alton. Gavin ordered it as well because he had tried my sandwich and liked it. His was served on a jacket potato (aka baked potato) and my was again on a baguette. I love chicken salad, but this isn't normal chicken salad. For one, it's practically royal. The original recipe was created for Queen Elizabeth's coronation banquet in 1953. The other thing I love about it is the flavor! It's a curried chicken salad with fruit! I looked up a few recipes and decided to make some of my own. I need to say a few things about ingredients. The recipe I based this one off of called for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts which I have discovered are practically impossible to find, at least in my regular grocery stores. I used boneless, skinless, instead and it worked great. I substituted burgundy cooking wine for red wine, but you could also just use chicken broth. Mango chutney might be hard to find. It'll be in the jam/jelly section. I found mine at Walmart and the recipe used about half the jar. I put the rest in a ziplock bag and froze it for next time. The mango chutney adds a lot of flavor, so don't skip it. Tomato puree is in the canned tomatoes section. My store only had Hunt's brand. I also froze the leftovers of that for next time. I really wanted to add crème fraîche to my coronation chicken. BUT it's hard to find and if you do it's gross stuff in a jar (just like the clotted cream) and is not the same and it's expensive. You can make your own, but that takes pasteurized whipping cream, NOT ultra-pasteurized which is also not carried at the regular grocery store, so I improvised! I bought Mexican Crema because I live in San Antonio and THAT is something that IS carried at my stores and is not expensive. Mexican Crema is Mexican table cream and is comparable to crème fraîche (google it!) but runnier. So I added it last to make my coronation chicken just as creamy as I wanted it to be. 

Coronation Chicken
adapted from a nytimes recipe
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 TBSP olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 TBSPs unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
½ cup burgundy cooking wine or chicken broth
6 TBSPs mango chutney
¼ cup tomato purée
3 TBSPs curry powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup mayonnaise
3 ounces dried apricots, finely chopped (about 15 apricots)
1/2 cup golden raisins (aka sultanas)
1/2 to 1 cup of crème fraîche (OR Mexican crema OR more mayo)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken on all sides with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Let chicken cool slightly chop meat into bite-size pieces or shred. Set aside.
2. While chicken is baking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cooking wine, mango chutney, tomato purée, curry powder, lemon juice and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary, until sauce is thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Transfer sauce to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature
3.Once sauce has cooled, add the mayonnaise and stir to combine. Add the cooled chicken, apricots, and the golden raisins, and stir to coat them in the sauce. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of crème fraîche (OR Mexican crema OR more mayo) to create desired creaminess. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve on bread for sandwiches or on baked potatoes.

BLT Quiche

I love quiche and love trying different add-ins! It's technically BST, but I'm sticking with the L because it makes more sense. This is my regular quiche recipe with the addition of bacon, spinach, and tomatoes. I used a little chopped fresh spinach from my garden and a few cherry tomatoes halved. I have tried all different kinds of cheese in my quiche and I like using the pizza blend. It has some swiss, which is a typical quiche cheese, but it also has some provolone and mozzarella and I think it works really well. 

BLT Quiche
1 9in. deep dish prepared crust (like Pillsbury crust, or make this Quick Pie Crust)
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, pizza blend 
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups loosely packed spinach, roughly chopped
10-20 cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork. Cover crust with foil, poke a few holes in it, then press it onto the crust. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the the crust looks dry but not brown, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the oven; reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.
2. While crust is baking, in a medium bowl combine eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, cheese, bacon, and spinach. Stir to combine. When the crust has finished baking, pour egg mixture into the crust. Top with cherry tomatoes, cut side up.
3. Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. If the edges are browning too quickly, cover them with strips of aluminum foil. Cool 15 minutes then serve.

One Pot Creamy Spinach and Tomato Pasta

I grew spinach in my garden over the winter and spring. I was constantly on the hunt for recipes to incorporate a little spinach. I found this recipe on CookingLight.com and unhealthified it by adding cream. :) You can also leave the cream out. It's an easy and versatile one pot dish. I've added basil and chicken and it's great that way too. The Cooking Light website has a video that I've linked above.

One Pot Creamy Spinach and Tomato Pasta
adapted from cookinglight.com
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried oregano
8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 cup heavy whipping cream
10 ounces fresh spinach
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)

1. Heat a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat.
2. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion starts to brown.
3. Add tomatoes, broth, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Add noodles; stir to submerge in liquid.
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 7 minutes or until pasta is almost done.
5. Uncover; stir in salt. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream and stir until it thickens. Add 1/2 more if desired.
6. Add spinach in batches, stirring until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

My Note: Leave out whipping cream for a healthier dish.
Chef's Notes from Cooking Light 1: Swap out spaghetti for any short pasta shape, such as elbow macaroni, rotini, or shells. 2: Use fresh grape tomatoes instead, and add fresh herbs. 3: Try adding chopped skinless, boneless chicken thighs, ground beef, or ground turkey for a heartier dish.

Like Levain Bakery - Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I went on my first trip to NYC last month and had LOTS of yummy food! One of the BEST things I had were the cookies from Levain Bakery. We went to both locations and bought all 4 kinds of their giant $4 cookies. The chocolate chip walnut was my favorite. As soon as I got home, I went through cookie withdrawals. Sooo...I googled a copycat recipe and found this one. Thank you Melissa at Modern Honey for making my at home Levain cookie dreams a reality. She put in lots of work to figure out this recipe and I am reaping the rewards. One recipe makes 8 cookies, so do yourself a favor and double it. They do great in the freezer!

Like Levain Bakery - Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

modernhoney.com
1 cup cold butter cut into small cubes
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups walnuts roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 410 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubed butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until creamy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
4. Stir in flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined to avoid over mixing. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Separate dough into large balls, 5 oz each,  and place on prepared cookie sheet. You will fit 4 cookies on one large cookie sheet. The dough makes 8-10 extra large cookies.
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes to set.

Mine on the left, Levain on the right

 Levain Cookie #1

 New Levain Location

Levain Cookie #2

 Original Levain Location

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I haven't posted a recipe in forever! It's time for Alfredo sauce! This recipe comes from the Olive Garden website. I love it! It's my new favorite. The reason why I love it is because it reheats well and doesn't separate. I took some pics the last time I made it and decided it was time to add it to the blog. This is enough sauce for about 12oz of pasta (I like to double it). Don't forget to salt and pepper to taste.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

olivegarden.com
6 TBSPs butter
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 TBSPs flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (buy the Frigo brick and grate it yourself)
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated (or just double the Parmesan)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish

1. Saute the butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to saucepan and stir occasionally until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken. Remove from heat.
3. Serve the Alfredo sauce over your favorite pasta, like fettuccine, linguine or bow tie.

 Note from Olive Garden: The key to making the best Alfredo sauce is quality ingredients like a good butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Your Alfredo sauce will be as good as the ingredients you put into it.