Chocolate Snickerdoodles with Kisses

I've made these a couple of times. Originally I tried it with the pumpkin kisses. This time I'm taking them to a Christmas cookie exchange with candy cane kisses. Delicious and pretty easy!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles with Kisses

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
48 Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together.
4. In mixer, cream butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. With lightly floured hands, roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll in Cinnamon Sugar mixture. Place the dough balls on the baking sheets. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes or until just firm but not overcooked.
6. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. Cool completely. 

AEM

Pumpkin French Toast

What better way to start a nice fall day than with some pumpkin french toast? Mmmm

Pumpkin French Toast

5-8 pieces of bread (depends on the size of the bread)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
powdered sugar
syrup

1. Beat eggs, milk, pumpkin, and spices.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat in large pan.
3. Dip bread in egg mixture and place 3-4 pieces in pan. Flip when bottom is browned, about 2-3 minutes. Remove when other side is brown.
4. With remaining butter, make the remaining 3-4 pieces of bread.
5. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar and syrup.

AEM

Maple Dijon Crock pot Chicken

I'm always hesitant to make a crock pot meal because in my mind, they are all grey and soupy and full of things I don't like. While I do use my crock pot, it's typically for something like chili. This recipe was shared by a friend and was so warm and cozy and fall-like and delicious and totally changed my mind about crock pot dinners.

Maple Dijon Chicken

1 pound chicken, sliced
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 medium redskin potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut potatoes into 4-6 pieces.
2. Put everything into crockpot, mix it up. Cook on low for 6 hours or so.

AEM

Spaghetti with Bacon and Artichoke

This is another gem from the Rachel Ray mag. This was really easy to make and most of the work was done while the pasta water boiled and noodles cooked. We used turkey bacon as the meat.

Spaghetti with Bacon and Artichoke

salt and pepper
1 pound bucatini, pici or spaghetti
3 tablespoons EVOO
1/4 - 1/3 pound chunk guanciale, pancetta or center-cut bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups thawed frozen artichoke hearts or 1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated caciocavello or pecorino-romano, plus more for serving
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the guanciale (or pancetta or bacon) and cook until the fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. 

3. Add the onion and garlic, season with pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, then the stock. Add the artichoke hearts and cook to heat through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Lower the heat to low.
4. Stir the reserved pasta cooking water into the artichoke sauce. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup cheese and the parsley; toss. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and pass more cheese at the table.

Link to recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/fat-spaghetti-with-bacon-artichokes/

AEM

Crock pot Applesauce

If you like the house to smell wonderful and some fresh applesauce, check this one out. It's SUPER easy and basically makes itself once you dump it all into the pot.

Applesauce

4 apples (I just Fuji and Honey Crisp), peeled and cubed
1tsp lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
3 tsp brown sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.
2. Set crock pot to low and let sit for 6 hours or so.
3. Stir occasionally. Every time you stir it will become more and more saucey. By the time it is done, it will be applesauce with a few swift stirs!

AEM

Progressive Dinner Recap

We had a progressive dinner and Mike and I hare the last stop so we did dessert. We made Mini Drumsticks, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Apple Cider Donut Holes, and Goat Cheese with Strawberry Salsa.

Big shout out to Layman Love Letters for the adorable signage! Also, the super cute invites were made by my wonderful and crafty neighbor.

AEM

Apple Cider Donut Holes

These are the perfect fall treat for morning, noon, or night. They are a great mix of flavor and nostalgia and aren't that bad for you! We will definitely be making these again! Here's the very tasty recipe:

Apple Cider Donut Holes

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 large egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp canola oil
canola cooking spray
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, apple butter, vanilla extract, honey, apple cider, yogurt, and canola oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and whisk until just incorporated. Don't over-mix - a few lumps are okay.
4. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, fill a 24-hole mini muffin pan with the batter; fill each hole 3/4 of the way. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
5. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Before donut holes cool, roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Original Recipe: http://www.feastie.com/blog/baked-apple-cider-donut-holes

AEM

Mini Drumsticks

I had this brilliant idea to make mini drumsticks...They ended up being delicious although they were quite a bit of work! Here's how I did it:

Mini Drumsticks

1. Make cones (see recipe below). Once cool, drop a chocolate chip in the bottom and drizzle in a little melted chocolate. everyone knows that's the best part of a drumstick!

2. Fill with ice cream (I made half with homemade carmel ice cream and half with Banana. The Banana was easier to work with. Here's the recipe: http://keepingupwithkak.blogspot.com/2012/01/banana-ice-cream-for-all.html)

3. Freeze overnight so ice cream is good and hard.

4. Melt chocolate, dip cones (or use a spoon) in chocolate. The chocolate will harden quickly so be prepared to add toppings fast!

5. Freeze until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Waffle Cones
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
2T melted butter
2t vanilla extract
1/4c half-and-half
1/3c all purpose flour

1. Heat small pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk sugar, egg, butter, vanilla extract, cream and flour in small bowl.
3. Spray the inside of the skillet with cooking spray and lower the heat to medium-low. You don't want it to be too hot. Add enough batter, in a thin layer, to create your cone, more batter for larger cones, less better (enough to make about a 4-inch circle) for smaller cones.
4. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bottom begins to lightly brown. BE PATIENT. 3 minutes is longer than you think and you'll only make a mess if you flip them too soon. Carefully flip the dough over with a spatula and cook on the other side until browned.
5. Remove from the pan and immediately roll it into a cone shapeI used construction paper to form a cone and wrapped it in wax paper to help the cone slide off. Pinch the bottom to close and prevent leaks.

6. Let cones cool on wax paper, flat side down. 

 

AEM

Oven Fried Turkey Burgers w/ BBQ Sauce

My Nana gave me a subscription to Rachel Ray's magazine and it's packed with awesome recipes. Here's one example:

Crispy Oven-Fried Turkey Patties with Bourbon BBQ Sauce

BBQ Sauce
1 cup ketchup, preferable organic
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 shots (about 1/4 cup) bourbon
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
coarse black pepper

Patties
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 - 3 scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
2 eggs, beaten with a few dashes of hot sauce, salt and pepper
about 1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
cooking spray
4 brioche or other soft sandwich rolls split

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . In a small saucepan, bring the BBQ sauce ingredients to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the turkey, scallions, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper; form into 4 patties. Coat the patties in the flour, then the eggs, then the cornflakes. Spray a baking sheet with the cooking spray. Place the turkey patties on the sheet and spray the patties. Bake until crisp, 18 to 20 minutes.
3. Place the turkey patties on the rolls, doused with the sauce. Serve with the toppings of your choice.

AEM

Chicken Pesto Mushroom Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza is a staple around our house. Oh, we had chicken last night? We should probably throw the rest on some pizza crust with a little pesto. Typically that's all we use but this time I wanted to shake this up a bit. Mike actually prefers it without the mushrooms but I liked it. Here it is.

Chicken Pesto Pizza w/ Mushrooms

1 chicken breast, cooked (I use leftovers)
1/4 cup pesto (I make a bunch at a time and freeze it in little cups because I don't like premade pesto but use what you like!)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2-1c mozzarella cheese
1 pre-made pizza crust (we like the Boboli whole weat thin crust)

1. Preheat oven according to crust instructions.
2. Sautee onion and mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat.
3. Layer pesto, chicken, onion, mushroom, and cheese on pizza crust.
4. Bake according to crust directions.

AEM

Smores Cookies

I love cookies, I love smores, and I love playing in the kitchen...why haven't I made smores cookies?! Here they are, they are DELICIOUS. As usual, I swapped out some of the butter but here's the original recipe:

Smores Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (7 full graham cracker sheets)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Mini Hershey’s Kisses (or chocolate chips/chunks)
1 cup Jet Puffed Mallow Bits (look for the bits! the mini's work too but the bits are better and look nicer for this, the mini's melt!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
2. Use a food processor or blender to crush 7 graham cracker sheets into 3/4 cup fine crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Add the chocolate andmarshmallows and stir to combine.
3. Place 1.5 tablespoon sized scoops of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Original Recipe: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/gooey-smores-cookies.html

AEM

Chicken Saltimbocca

This is a solid chicken recipe. I like it because it covers all kinds of food groups in one quick meal and is still good! I slightly overcooked the chicken in this one. I've become quite the nervous nelly with chicken after undercooking it a time or two :) Even slightly overcooked, this was still really tasty.

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 thin chicken breasts (pounded flat)
4 thin slices of prosciutto
Parmesan cheese

Frozen, chopped spinach, thawed & drained (I used the smallest package I could find)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2T lemon juice

salt & pepper
olive oil

1. Lay chicken pieces flat on a cutting board or plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put one slice of prosciutto on each piece of chicken.
2. Toss the spinach in a little bit of olive oil (maybe about a tablespoon) and put a layer of spinach onto each chicken/prosciutto stack. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese onto each stack. Tightly roll each chicken stack (I started on the thin pointed end). Use a toothpick or two to hold each roll.
3. In a large pan, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom over high heat. Add the chicken rolls and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, carefully turning with tongs. 

4. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

AEM

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Tara's Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe that was shared by my dear friends Rob and Tara who live in a land far far away...ok maybe it's just a few states away but still, it seems far! They said CHOCOLATE and CAKE in the same breath and I couldn't resist. Boy am I glad I listened to them, this was delicious. I cut out some of the butter in favor of applesauce and it was still really really good. I imagine it's just flat out deadly if made the way it was intended. I also cut the recipe by one-third because two people really don't need a full cake (let's be honest, I'd eat the whole thing and nobody needs that). Here is Tara's recipe:

Tara's Chocolate Cake & Icing

Cake:
2 cups boiling water (or coffee) - I used coffee
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool


Icing:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix and use on cooled cake!

AEM

BBQ Chicken w/ Pineapple

There's nothing special about this one, it's just a different twist on an old favorite, and really tasty. I was tired of the standard grilled chicken so we added some bbq sauce and pineapple and whipped up some sweet potato fries. Mmm mm good!


BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Grilled Pineapple

2 sweet potatoes
2 T corn starch
1t salt
1t pepper
1t garlic powder
2 thin chicken breasts
fresh pineapple, sliced (I bought it cored and then sliced it)
bbq sauce
2 sandwich buns
olive oil
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (it's better if you preheat to 425 Convect). Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash and chop potatoes into fry-shaped slices. Mix corn starch, salt, and pepper and toss fries in mixture. Add olive oil, enough to coat the fries and toss. Put fries onto lined tray and bake, turning every 15-20 minutes, until desired doneness. These will burn faster than normal potatoes so keep an eye on them.
2. Grill chicken as you normally would. Near the end of the cooking, add pineapple to grill (you may want to spray the grill a little beforehand but we didn't). Add bbq sauce to the chicken, flip the pineapple to get some nice lines.
3. Assemble your sandwich and enjoy!

AEM

Peach Crisp for Two

I've been making peach and apple crisps for a while so it's probably time to give them a little space on the blog.

Peach Crisp

1 peach
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons instant oatmeal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tablespoon butter, softened
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottom of loaf pan.
2. Thinly slice peach and put on bottom of pan.
3. Mix flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl. Mix with hands to get a nice crumble. Sprinkle over top of sliced peaches.
4. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. It's best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cool whip!

My apple crisp is very similar. Sub out the one peach for one apple and add a dash of nutmeg to make it  a little warmer and homier and to make the house smell delicious!

AEM

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I used to make a sweet & sour/Hawaiian chicken back in the day that was baked with some chunky onion, pepper, and pineapple and a different sauce. The idea was right, the dinner was really good, but the sauce was more hawaiian than sweet & sour. The sauce below really does the trick. This one was all over Pinterest and after a few "failed" attempts at Chinese food and a decent Hawaiian chicken thing, we finally found a winner. The previous attempts weren't actually failed, it's just that some weren't even blogable and some were just decent and then there's still a few we've made again and again like the Pad Thai and the Peanut Chicken.  This is another one of those recipes that's been put into the regular rotation. It's easy and delicious. The original recipes are below but here's how I did it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken & Fried Rice

Chicken:
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup cornstarch
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
cooking spray

3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cube chicken breasts. Combine cornstarch and salt and pepper to taste in a plastic bag. Toss cubed chicken into bag and coat with cornstarch.
3. In a medium/large bowl, beat egg with water. Remove chicken from bag and put into egg mixture. Do this with your hand, shaking off excess cornstarch because the cornstarch + egg will make a paste.
4. In large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add egged/cornstarched chicken to hot pan. Cook chicken until browned but not cooked fully or chicken will get too dry.
5. Lightly grease glass baking dish. Put cooked chicken into dish.
6. In a bowl, whisk sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt. Pour over chicken mixture.
7. Bake for about an hour (it'll take about 45 mins before the sauce starts to thicken). Stir/turn chicken every 15-20 minutes.

Rice:
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

1. Heat oil in large pan on medium or medium-high heat. Add peas/carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook until onions are tender.
2. Push veggies to one side of the pan and add beaten egg. Scramble eggs on other side of the pan. Mix with pea/carrot/onion mixture when done.
3. Add rice and soy sauce. Mix and heat until warm.

Original Chicken Recipe: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html
Original Rice Recipe: http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

AEM