Good for You Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

I found this recipe years ago in a magazine, of which I can't even remember. However, it is SO delicious, and slightly a little healthier than a regular version of a chocolate chip recipe!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c dk brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 c applesauce, unsweetened
2 egg whites
2 1/2 c oats
12 oz chocolate chips

Combine flour, soda, cinnamon & salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, sugar, margarine & applesauce in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg whites & vanilla; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, chips & if you prefer.... nuts. Drop onto greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 12-13 minutes for crispy.

Amy's Notes: I'm such a dork sometimes. I didn't read the directions all the way through, and tossed everything in a bowl starting with the flour. Guess what?! IT WAS FINE!!! I also didn't have margarine, just butter. I also didn't have unsweetened applesauce, so I used applesauce with cinnamon. I also didn't have dark brown sugar... just light brown. All in all, they tasted AMAZINGLY awesome! Oh, and I used parchment paper to bake the cookies on.... for 10 minutes for chewy! Take them out before they get brown!!

Texas Caviar (or in other words: Black Beans & Corn Salsa)

This is NOT what the recipe makes! This is due to my three friends eating almost the whole bowl before I remembered to take a picture
... it's almost gone!

I seriously love this recipe. Some people call it Texas Caviar, some call it "Black Beans & Corn Salsa" I don't care what you call it... just make it!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 c diced red onion

Dressing:
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt & pepper each
4-6 Tbsp lime juice
**can add 1/4 c cilantro
**can add pickled jalapeno slices

Combine all ingredients and let mingle... overnight, if possible! If not possible, then at least 4 hours before you plan to serve or eat. You can also add green pepper, tomatoes, chopped parsley, garlic, etc. Just keep the proportions the same!

Amy's Notes: I have none! Just eat with tortilla chips or even add to salads! Top a grilled chicken with this!

pepper jelly + canning!!

I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to host a Ball Canning party by House Party. They gave me EVERYTHING I needed to start canning... everything but the food. So while my mom was here in town, I made her teach me how to can. And can we did!!

First we started out washing our cans, lids & bands. Some people put it on the sanitize cycle on their dishwasher, but I don't have that cycle on mine. So we placed the jars inside a simmering hot pan of water (first time we submerged, the second time I did not submerge the jars). Set the lids in their own little pan and we started making the jelly!!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c finely chopped green bell pepper (about 4 large)
1/2 c finely chopped jalapeno pepper (about 4 small)
1 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 pkg (1.75 oz) Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin
2 c sugar
1 c honey
12 Ball (4 0z) jelly jars w/ lids & bands

1) Prepare canner & jars as directed.

2) Combine green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, & vinegar in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat, stirring constantly.

3) Add sugar & honey. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.


4) Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 headspace. Wipe rim and center lid on jar. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

5) Process filled jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Leave sitting on counter for 12-24 hours.


Amy's Notes: OK.... get a chopper if you've got one. I have a Pampered Chef chopper, and that literally saved my life! My hands too! For the jalapeno peppers, I wanted it a little hot, but not so hot that kids can't eat it, so I left two of them w/ the veins & seeds, and seeded/deveined the other two peppers. Another note to myself: start the pan w/ hot water quite a while before it's needed. The first time I canned, it took FOREVER and a day to get it boiling (always put the lid on it, which I didn't). The second time I canned, I added the lid and started the heat about half an hour before I needed to start.

If you have any leftover or run out of jars to place into, put the rest in a sealable container and eat over cream cheese with crackers!!

This is a perfectly little gift to take someone... like a hostess gift!
Or a little Christmas present for that someone!!
Make a whole bunch NOW so you're ready for whenever!
Seriously, the easiest recipe ever!

Many thanks to the Ball company for supplying this recipe! It's a winner!

lemon bars

I was a lemon bar virgin. Never made them before... never *gasp* had them before! I really had NO clue what they were supposed to look like! I went searching for the perfect recipe, and found that almost all of the recipes were the exact same, only some had more flour, or less flour... some had less lemon, or more lemon... some called for lemon juice in a bottle, others said you HAVE to use fresh lemons. So, I used Paula Deen's recipe.

Ingredients
Crust:
2 c all purpose flour
1 c confectioner's sugar + more for dusting
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, + more for greasing

Filling:
4 eggs
2 c granulated sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Make the crust by combining the flour, sugar & salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers in a little flour or confectioner's sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour & lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

Amy's Notes: I used Pam, not butter to grease my pan. I baked everything according to the directions, and it all turned out very yummy! On the actual website, you can see all the "well.. I would have done this... or that" type of tips, but I didn't use any of those. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was sure I did it wrong. Nothing looked like jelly for the lemon filling. But, it was there. I made it Friday night, and cut it up on Saturday morning!

Guenther House Quiche Muffins

I had this recipe at a baby shower held at my friend Katie's house a few weeks ago. I kept going back for seconds... and thirds... and I finally stopped at fourths. They were SO delicious!!! These really are perfect for brunches, or breakfast/brunch baby showers!

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/3 c butter @ room temp
1 1/2 c Bisquik
1 c cooked & crumbled sausage
1 c shredded zucchini
1/3 c chopped green onion
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 c mozzarella or provolone cheese

Heat oven to 350. Grease muffin tins. Combine milk, butter, eggs, and Bisquik. Stir in sausage, zucchini, onion & cheeses. {at this point the mixture can be refrigerated overnight.} For regular muffins, bake about 20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake 15-18 minutes.

Amy's Notes: I doubled this recipe b/c I didn't want to let the sausage go to waste. I made SO many muffins! I baked 1 large tin of muffins, and two tins of mini muffins. I'm freezing the mini muffins now.... and so we can just pull them out and reheat when we want them!

starbuck's blueberry muffins

At work we have a Starbucks to cater to everyone. I love their pastries. So far my favorites are the Pumpkin Scones and since a few weeks ago, their Blueberry Muffins. Ooh, I'm in HEAVEN when I eat these (which have only happened twice). These muffins are so incredibly light, and are definitely not a heavy muffin. I scoured the internet for a knock off recipe, and I found it!!

Ingredients

1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c soft butter
1 1/2 c pastry flour *** see notes
1/2 c milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 c wild blueberries
1 egg, beaten
1 grated lemon, rind of

Cream butter & sugar together, until light & fluffy. Add the egg, and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with milk. Make sure you begin and end with the flour (not sure why it works best this way, but it does). Toss blueberries with lemon rind and carefully fold into batter. Do NOT overmix! Fill a muffin tin with paper or grease w/ butter. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from tins & cool on rack!

isn't this pretty? It really had a beautiful color... but this is what your dough will look like

Amy's Notes: OK... my first thought when I read this recipe was "what in the heck is pastry flour?" I scoured my store for pastry flour, and I finally asked a little old lady if it was the same thing as cake flour. She said yes. WRONG! It's not! However, if you add a little more cake flour, then it's OK. Basically, for each cup of pastry flour, you add 1 cup + 2 tbsp of cake flour. So, by my calculations, I added 1 1/2 c + 3 tbsp of cake flour instead of pastry flour. Next, I didn't have wild blueberries. I have blueberries from the store, so I used those. I also sprinkled some sugar on the top of the muffins before they baked. This recipe yielded about 14 muffins for me.


Results? Oh.My.GOODNESS! These are hands down (and feet if I can count those) the BEST blueberry muffins I have EVER eaten (OK, other than Starbucks). These are the best homemade muffins ever. They are so light, so moist. I baked for about 18 minutes as 15 minutes for me was still a little wet.

how to boil an egg

I can never get it right. Ever. I always have a grey or green outline when I boil my eggs. Ick! I googled months ago to find a "how to", and found one! Used it several times! But now I can't find it again.... I think I found the website, but not sure. I'm using it this time, just in case I can't find it AGAIN!

1) Place eggs in a saucepan. Cover them with cold water, add an inch or two above the eggs. Do NOT salt the water. Place on burner on HIGH heat.

2)Place on burner on HIGH heat. Once they start to boil turn on the timer to 3 minutes.

3) When the timer goes off, quickly take off the heat, put on the lid and reset the timer to 8 minutes.

4) When 8 minutes are up, take to sink and run cold water over them for about a minute, let them soak a bit to cool off. They will peel best if you set them in the refrigerator for about 1/2 to 1 hour, but you can eat them now!

What to do if your egg......

• If the egg stays at the bottom - it is fresh.

• If the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.

• If the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.

• If the egg floats - they're stale and best discarded.

pumpkin scones

A few months ago, my coworker & friend Angie went & bought some Starbucks at work. She came back holding a bag, and split a scone with me. She said "these are always gone by the time I get one, but they had one left, so let's try it!". Oh.My.GOODNESS! I was in LOVE. Starbuck's Pumpkin Scones are so delicious... but are only available for a few months.

So, I scoured the internet in hopes of finding a recipe, and I found one!!
It was a little time consuming, but it was SO worth it!!

Ingredients for Scones
2 c flour
7 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 c canned pumpkin
3 tbsp half & half
1 large egg
6 tbsp cold butter

Ingredients for Plain Glaze
1 c plus 1 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp whole milk

Ingredients for Spiced Icing
1 c + 3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp whole milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 tsp each cinnamon & nutmeg; 1/4 tsp each cloves & ginger in a bowl... combine.
3) In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half & half, & egg.
3) Cut butter into cubes, then add it to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry knife or fork to combine. Texture will be like cornmeal when you are done.
4) warning... messy! Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. You might have to eventually use your hands (I did). Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1 inch thick circle and use a pizza cutter & cut however you like (I do circle, cut in half, and just start making triangles from there). I get between 6-8 pieces.
5) Place parchment paper (not necessary, but I love it!) on a cookie sheet, and place your pieces a little apart from each other. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until scones are light brown.
6) While scones bake, prepare plain glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
7) As scones cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top & sides of the scones.
8) As the white glaze firms up, prepare the spiced icing ... and drizzle this thicker icing over each scone.
9) Let dry for 1 hour before serving.


Amy's Notes: I doubled this recipe b/c I wanted to take some to work. Now, since I doubled everything, I realized I probably didn't need to double the glazes.... there was quite a bit of it left over. The texture of this scone is absolutely out of this world.... so yummy!

....no cook fudge frosting

In our family, we have a traditional birthday cake. I always make a two layer cake.... french vanilla for some, & some sort of chocolate cake for others. The topping is always the same: Better Homes & Garden's No-Cook Fudge Frosting. Every birthday my girls always request this cake & icing. One year I added canned strawberry frosting and piped big circles for Maddie's birthday cake. I remember when I was a teenager, and I wanted to make a chocolate cake. I added way too much hot water, and thought "oh, it's OK". Well, when I went to spread (OK, poured it on) my two layer cake... it went over my cake. Down the side. On the counter. Then on the floor. It.was.a.mess!! My mom came in laughing after shrieking my name a few times! Apparently, I have to add more sugar if I add too much water!

Ingredients
(taken from the Better Homes & Garden cookbook)
4 3/4 c sifted powdered sugar
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c margarine or butter, softened
1/3 c boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix powdered sugar & cocoa. Add margarine, boiling water, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Cool for 20-30 minutes or till of spreading consistency. Frosts tops & sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake layers.

Amy's Notes: OK, I don't sift my powdered sugar. And I didn't know there was "sweetened cocoa powder!" I always use butter... and I now make sure my frosting is the right consistency before I frost. Sometimes that means adding more water b/c it's just too thick for me to spread. Don't want to get crumbs on my frosting! AND.. most importantly! Put your bowl in the sink when you mix this up w/ your electric mixer. Otherwise the fudge frosting will fly EVERYWHERE! Better to trap it in the sink than wiping if off the walls.

Warning! Warning! Warning! This recipe is VERY rich! But very delicious! Have milk on hand!

.... crock pot pinto beans

I think I did it!! I found THE recipe for our pinto beans!! I always add too little water (which result in dry beans, or burnt if you are like me...), or not enough flavoring (which turn out to be BLAND beans), or the WRONG flavors....

However, I've been playing around for 13 years people... 13 years trying to find the right combination. I think I found it. So easy, and SO few ingredients!! My husband LOVES pinto beans, so we stock up on pinto beans from the cannery. It's a great CHEAP dinner... and lots of possibilities you can do with beans. Make a "build your own dinner w/ pinto beans", or beans with fried potatoes & cornbread... or... well, that's all that I do, really. Just those two type of dinners.

Anyways, here is what I use:

Ingredients
2 cups dried pinto beans
6 cups of water
1 can of Rotel (you determine spicy level)
3 cut up pieces of bacon
salt

First, measure out your beans, and put it in a colander. Take out all the halved pieces.. and rocks. I would like to know how rocks get in here! Rinse it. Put a liner in your crockpot (it's a MUST for me nowadays!), and dump the rinsed beans inside. Place the water (you can add 8 cups if you want....). Dump the can of rotel, or any off brand of tomatoes with chile's (I also like Aldi's brand!). Cut up the bacon (leave it raw), and dump it inside the crockpot.

Turn it on high and let it cook all day. When it's near the time to eat, taste it, and add salt. I typically have to salt, then taste, then salt some more, and taste again. The bacon & the Rotel gives it a great taste! Now, I did try the HOT Rotel once, and let me tell you, my husband LOVED it, but it was WAY too hot for me & the girls!! So, we stick with the regular Rotel. We're creampuffs......

Maddie & I love our beans over Frito's with sour cream & cheese. Mike & Katie eat the beans as a burrito. We also make "Big Daddies", which are fried flour tortillas and you basically build it up as a tostada. Make sure to add diced pickles at the end for that dinner! Yumm!

cast iron green beans

This recipe is hands down, my most favorite side vegetable. It's probably not THE healthiest for you, but man oh man, is it my favorite!! This works best in a cast iron skillet.

Cut up in small piece, 3 slices of bacon. Chop up about 1/3 of an onion. Saute it in the skillet until the bacon is almost done cooking. When this is done, add 3 cans drained green beans (the cut kind, not the french style green beans).

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the green beans, and let it cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every now & then.

Take a few bites here & there until it has reached PERFECTION!!

cream of anything soup

**disclaimer: I have NOT made this soup, but every woman in my family has made this over & over & over again.... using different vegetables. I subscribed YEARS ago to this "receive a new recipe every day" via email, and this was one of the recipes. My aunt & my grandma both say this is THE best recipe they have ever tried, and have thanked me over & over & over again for this recipe.

I have yet to try it, but if these awesome ladies who are amazing cooks love this recipe, chances are, it's a winner!

In a soup pot melt & brown: 4 tbsp butter & 4 tbsp flour

Add: 1 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, dash cayenne pepper

Add: 1 1/2 c milk, 2 c chicken broth, 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash, 1 tsp onion powder or chopped onion

Choose & add one of the following vegetables (pureed or chopped) & the corresponding seasonings:

*2 c asparagus + 1 tsp lemon juice, dash of ground nutmeg or mace

*1 1/2 c green beans + 1/2 tsp thyme, dash garlic powder, 1 bay leaf

* 1 c carrots + 1 Tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp basil

*2 c cauliflower + 1/2 tsp curry powder

*1 1/2 c zucchini + dash nutmeg

*1 1/2 c mushroom + dash nutmeg

If you try this recipe out, let me know which vegetable you tried, and what tastes the best!!

homemade hot fudge

A few weeks ago we had a few of Mike's work friends over, and for dessert we had brownie fudge sundae. I've been wanting to try this recipe of homemade hot fudge for SO long (like years!). Instead of forking over $2-3 for a small jar of hot fudge, I was able to make this for much cheaper, and had SO much leftover!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can evaporated milk
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a pan, adding the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add the evaporated milk and the powdered sugar. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.

butter yaki & won tons

In continuing with my winter vacation stories.... I have to show the pictures of a big tradition that my family has. Ever since I was a little girl, we have made a dinner called "butter yaki". Now, my spelling of this Japanese dinner might be off, but in short, you cook it in an electric skillet, using butter to cook the vegetables & marinated meat. My family "adopted" a man named Floyd, who lived in Kansas City to go to dental school when I was little. He was the one who taught the family this amazing meal. I have also heard he named his daughter after me as well.... :)

There is a lot of preparation for this dinner. My parents start soaking the chicken (or steak) in homemade teriyaki sauce the night before. My mom likes to cut up the meat when it's still partially frozen and cuts it very thin (that way it cooks faster). Then she pours the marinade over the meat and places it back in the fridge.

We use all different kinds of vegetables. Broccoli, sprouts, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, snow peas... you name it! We all give our opinion on what we want in our stir fry....

This is my dad. He's the cook of the night... always the cook the night we have butter yaki. It's just the way we roll in our family. Dad cooks the butter yaki. He takes a little of each ingredient and stirfries it... and serves it to us. Then he does it again: melt butter, add meat, & add veggies. He usually does about 3-4 rounds of this. We always have leftovers. Mom makes the rice and fries the won tons. Oh, won tons you asked? Now, THIS, is my most favorite food in the ENTIRE world. Other than chocolate. Every year my mom always asks me what I want for my birthday dinner, and it's always won tons. I would be perfectly happy with just won tons. Nothing else.

It also takes a bit of time to prep these babies. You mix up the mixture of chicken, green onions, soy sauce & egg whites. Then you buy the won ton wrappers, spread a little in the middle, and fold it accordingly. My girls are now helping with the job that my brother and I held for so many years. I love teaching them the tricks that I learned... {use the fingers!}

Then, my mom fries them. Yummm! Keeps them warm in the oven until it's time to eat.

In order to fully appreciate won tons, we dip them in a sauce made out of mustard & soy sauce. One can also use plum sauce. Very delicious!

My dad this year made virgin strawberry margaritas for us (the kind in the bucket, w/ ginger ale). Again, a very special dinner for our family! We don't get it often, but when we do get it, it's a special treat for us!

Won Tons:
1 chicken breast
2 egg whites
4-5 green onions
soy sauce (dribble)

Put all in a food processor and blend (process? mince?)

Spoon a small amount in the middle of a won ton wrapper, place water on the outside edges of the wrapper, fold into a triangle, then take the corner and fold into the top part of the triangle. Do this for the opposite side. Place on a cookie sheet that has cornstarch on the bottom to prevent sticking while it's waiting to fry!

Teriyaki Marinade
1 3/4 c water
grated ginger root (fresh!) -- maybe a tbsp?
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c soy sauce

Heat water, then add brown sugar so it melts. It's always equal parts brown sugar & soy sauce, and double that amount in water. So if you need to marinate a TON of meat, then that's the portions you need to use!

the most beautiful gingerbread cookies ever

my friend kristen is amazing. she came in carting these type of cookies at church one sunday for the young women. i was jealous. they were too beautiful to eat! then one day, katie babysat for kristen, and came home with a bag of these babies! they were the best gingerbread cookies i have ever eaten! i took several pictures because they were simply a work of art.... and i begged kristen for the recipe. she was so sweet, and she gave me the recipe! i have a few other recipes of hers to share later on as well! she said she got it from her husband's aunt, who got it from possibly the mormon essentials cookbook. Enjoy!

Cast of Characters
aka ingredients

5 to 5 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp b soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 c shortening
1 c sugar
1 1/4 c unsulphered molasses
(Kristen prefers Brer Rabbit Full Flavor, but couldn't find it, so used Grandma's)
2 eggs, beaten

Melt shortening in large saucepan until just melted, not hot. Add in order: sugar, molasses and eggs; mix well. Cool slightly, then add four cups dry ingredients and mix well. Turn mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining dry ingredients by hand. Add a little more flour, if necessary, to make a firm dough.

Roll out dough- bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes

i will post the royal icing recipe she used shortly!