The World's Best Cookies

Tropical Heaven Cookies
A recipe from my friend Alane Sleight.  These cookies are a rave review whenever I take them anywhere.  Men especially like them, they are sort of like a high class granola bar.  They look great in a cellophane bag tied with ribbon or string.  I have wrapped and frozen them and that works great.  They are just a delicious cookie.

¾ c. butter, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

¼ c. water

1 c. flour

1 t. salt

½ t. baking soda

3 c. regular old fashioned oats

½ c. each of the following: Craisins, raisins, coconut, raisins, golden raisins, dried fruit bits- (tropical mix by Dole but I usually don’t add this because I rarely have it or the golden raisins.  Add more

Craisins and raisins if you leave them out)

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup of nuts – walnuts, almonds, or pecans (I like slivered almonds best) 

Cream butter and sugars.  Add egg, vanilla, and water; mix.  Stir in flour, salt and baking soda.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Take ¼ c. measuring cup, spray inside with non-stick spray and then scoop cookie dough, pack and place on cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly.   Repeat with remaining dough.  Bake 10-12 min. at 350º.   Only let them brown on the very edge.  They will spread out onto the baking tray.  Remove from the oven and take a spoon and push the cookie edges back towards the center to make a 3” cookie. They may look a bit doughy in the middle but as they cool they will firm up.  Leave on sheet to cool for 5 to 10 min. until firm.  They look great in a cellophane bag.  Makes 18- 20 giant cookies.   

Cowboy Cookies

If you want to make an enormous amount of cookies, this is your recipe!  They are chewy and

yummy. 

 

2 squares butter

2 squares margarine

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

4 cups flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

4 cups old fashioned oats – not instant

2 t. vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

 

Cream butter, margarine, and sugars together.  Add eggs.  Add flour, baking powder, soda and salt one cup at a time.  Add rolled oats and vanilla.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Roll into large walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheet.   Or, use a large cookie scoop.  They freeze well and taste great when you pull them out of the freezer.

 

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.   Makes over 6 dozen

 

A great cookie recipe from Heather.

 

Note:  I have found that oatmeal cookies are chewier and more moist when you use old fashioned oats.  Quick oats seem to absorb the moisture and make the cookies a little bit dry.  There are a few exceptions to that and I will always note that when I post a recipe.

 

 

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

A yummy Autumn flavor.  The vegetables are easily doubled in this recipe without altering the flavor too much.

Sweet Potato Topping

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into  1-inch cubes
2 t. kosher salt
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Filling

2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
3/4 c. diced celery
3/4 c. peeled, diced carrots
1 t. kosher salt
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. chicken stock or broth
1/2 c. whipping cream or half-and-half
2 1/2 c. shredded roast turkey or chicken
2 T. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage
1 T. minced fresh thyme

In a saucepan combine sweet potatoes, 1 t. salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Cover partially.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes, mash with a masher and stir in melted butter, nutmeg and 1 t. salt. Set aside

In a large saucepan melt butter with oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots and salt. Cover partially and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir to combine.  Slowly stir in stock.  Simmer, stirring occasionally untion smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in cream; bring to a simmer.  Add turkey, parsley, sage and thyme.  Stir and return to a simmer.  Spread turkey filling in a 9x13 dish.  Using a rubber spatula, spread and mound sweet potato mixture over filling, leaving some of the filling visible.  Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Makes 5 servings.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Oct 2013

Taco Stuffed Shells

A guest post from Chelsea England Tanner

1 lb ground beef or turkey
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
24 jumbo shells, cooked
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Brown meat in skillet. Add cream cheese and chili powder; simmer 5 minutes. Fill cooked shells with meat mixture. Arrange shells in glass 9x13 pan. Pour enchilada sauce over shells; cover with foil.

Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Uncover, top with cheese. Bake 15 minutes long
er or until bubbly.

Cordon Bleu Casserole

 A quick and tasty dish

1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 1/2 t. garlic salt
1 t. chili powder
1 T. margarine, melted
6-8 chicken tenders
8-10 pieces thin sliced ham
4 pieces sliced Swiss cheese

Mix bread crumbs, garlic salt and chili powder together. Pour melted margarine into 8x8 baking dish and top with half the bread crumb mixture.  Place chicken tenders, ham and cheese on top.  Top with remaining bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Serve with rice, white sauce and peas

Simple Pleasures

Mary Ann Creer brought me this journal a few weeks ago when they came for dinner.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it but I set it aside to think about.  A few days later I was reading in a book Simple Pleasures and it said:

"In the kitchen at my husband's family summer home in Maine, there's a shelf full of black and white notebooks.  His grandmother kept a page for every dinner she hosted at the house, listing what she served as well as the guests.  We love to flip through the pages which read like a portrait of the family in food over several decades.  Although I only met his grandmother in the last years of her life, her notebooks make me feel like I know her better."

I immediately knew what to do with the journal.  I have started writing down meals and who comes and a thought or two about the dinner or visiting or whatever.  I wish I would have started doing this thirty years ago.  It would have been so interesting looking back.

It is a busy time right now getting Stephen ready and on his mission.  I am hoping to post a lot of favorite recipes going into the fall.

Pomodoro (Fresh Tomato Sauce)

pg. 269 Kathleen Flinn The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

I had to use up lots of garden tomatoes I had and made this delicious homemade pasta sauce - a new quick easy delicious healthy favorite...

be sure to have the pasta cooking and all the ingredients ready before starting the sauce; this is ready more quickly than you'd expect.  Flavorful fresh tomatoes make all the difference here; cherry tomatoes work especially well and they're available year round.  Just cut them in half.  Carefully scoop out a bit of the pasta water to finish the sauce.

Makes enough for about 4 side portions or 2 main dish servings.

8 ounces dried pasta, such as penne or linguine, or 12 ounces fresh pasta
coarse salt
1 T. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
about 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch or two of hot pepper flakes
handful of chopped parsley or basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

-Boil water for pasta.  Add at least 1 T. of salt to the water; it should taste slightly salty.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions; reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water after cooking.

-Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a sauté pan over med-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; be sure not to burn it or you'll need to start over.  Add the tomatoes and any other vegetables, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3-5 minutes for tomatoes on their own, longer if you add other vegetables.

-Add the reserved pasta water and cook until the sauce is reduced slightly and the rest of the ingredients begin to break down, about another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the cheese, red pepper flakes and parsley or basil (if using), several cranks of fresh black pepper and salt if needed.

optional:
splash cream at the end of cooking for a more creamy texture
handful of additional chopped vegetables such as chopped zucchini, artichokes, olives, and/or asparagus
Shrimp or diced cooked chicken with the tomatoes (shrimp can be added raw but be sure to cook them thoroughly; they should turn white throughout and curl up tightly.)