Picture Perfect Cooking

I think I have found my new favorite cookie since I have made these twice in the last week and I am eating one right now!  My mother-in-law, J, found this recipe and gave it to me to try.  It is a rousing success!  Southern Living Magazine published this in their new Christmas cookbook, and have used it in their advertising.  Try it, I know you will love it!!!

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (original recipe called for milk)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp mini marshmallows

Microwave 1 cup semisweet chips in a small microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH power for 1 minute or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each.  Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

Sift together flour, baking powder, & salt.  Gradually add to the chocolate mixture, beating until well-blended.  Stir in chopped pecans and remaining chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Press 3 mini marshmallows onto the center of each cookie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set.

One note of caution.  Make sure you put the marshmallows in the center of the cookie more than the above photo shows or you will end up with a “cookie monster” as my husband called it!!

This is what they are supposed to look like…

Mmm, mmmm!  Yummy!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

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Well, folks, here’s what you have been waiting for and what I keep yakking about…Cucumber Salad.  The original recipe that this is based on is Kansas Cucumber Salad in the September 1995 edition of Taste of Home magazine.  I have had request after request for this recipe and I have taken it to many potlucks over the years.  It is cool and refreshing and makes great use of all the cucumbers growing in the garden this time of year.

Cucumber Salad

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1/2 tsp salt

4 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced

In a large bowl, combine mayo, sugar, vinegar, dill and salt.  Add cucumbers and toss to coat.  Cover and chill for at least one hour.

See, wasn’t that easy?  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have in the last 14 years!

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There is nothing like a tall, icy cold glass of freshly made lemonade.  I’m not talking about the stuff frozen in a tube or the yellow powder you dissolve in water.  Uh, huh!  I am talking about homemade sugar syrup and freshly squeezed lemons! I have had this recipe for 12 years and have never found a better one.  It was on the television show Main Ingredient with Bobby Flay on Lifetime TV in 1997.   Come join me on the porch for a glass.

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

6 lemons

4 additional cups water

Dissolve sugar in 1 cup of water over medium heat.  Zest 2 lemons with a grater and add the zest to the water.

Cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is a clear yellow.  It might bubble a little, but that’s okay.  If you don’t want the zest to end up in the final product, strain your syrup before putting it in the refrigerator to chill.

Juice the 6 lemons and strain out the pulp and seeds.  Pour juice in a pitcher and add 4 cups of water.  When it has cooled, pour the sugar syrup mixture in the lemon juice/water mixture.  Chill and enjoy!  This recipe is easily doubled, and if you are serving more than 2, I highly recommend it. 

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