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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Is it hot where you are?  It is here.  For the last couple of weeks, the temperatures have topped out in the 90s with high humidity.  Would you like a delicious way to cool off?  Well, I have one for you.  This frozen dessert tastes a lot like a dreamsicle frozen treat and is so easy to make.  How easy?  Just read below.

2 cups orange sherbet, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (or neufchatel cheese)

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup orange juice

8 oz. frozen whipped topping

Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with foil.  Spread sherbet onto bottom of pan to form an even layer.  Freeze 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy and smooth.  Gradually add condensed milk and juice until well blended.  Gently stir in whipped topping.  Pour over sherbet in pan.

Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.  To unmold, invert pan onto a plate and remove the foil.

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I think I should change the name of my blog.  Since we have been pretty busy lately with different projects, I haven’t been much of a cook!  I am going to try to make up a little today with one of my favorite cookie recipes, THE SNICKERDOODLE!  I have no idea how this cookie got its unusual name.  It is nothing like the closely named candy bar with no chocolate in sight!  I had heard of this cookie for years and thought that is must be like the candy bar, but I was very wrong.

A very nice lady in our small town brought my office a basket of these cookies in 2002 and I fell in love!  They are buttery and spicy and delicious!  She was also gracious enough to share her recipe which I am now sharing with you!  Thanks, Miss Evelyn!!!

Snickerdoodles

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I use a Silpat baking mat, which I highly recommend if you have one.  It is a silicone baking mat that is oven proof and easy to clean.  It is also reusable, so there is less waste.  Mix 3/4 cup sugar with butter until completely combined.

Beat in egg and vanilla.  Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar together and add to butter mixture.

In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and coat with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Place on the lined sheet pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Do not over bake!  Enjoy!

I made these for our last Relay for Life bake sale last week.  So far, our little team has raised over $4400!  YAY!  The local Relay for Life is scheduled for this Friday with an 80’s theme.  Our team is the Love Boat Crew and we are hosting “The Newlywed Game” for our activity that night.  There will definitely be photos taken, so please check back!

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.”

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It is strawberry time, folks!  Here is another recipe (yes, I know, I am addicted to strawberries) that can use either fresh or frozen.  The pretzel crust gives it a salty kick to go with the creamy filling and sweet strawberry topping.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

For Crust:

1 cup pretzels, crushed

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

For Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz. Cool Whip

1/2 cup granulated sugar

For Topping:

1 large box strawberry Jell-O

2 cups boiling water

2 cups cold water

4 cups sliced strawberries (if using frozen, thaw and drain well)

Crust: Place pretzels in a zip-top bag and seal.  Crush with a rolling pin. Combine crumbs with melted butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Press into a greased 13×9” pan. (Since I was taking it to 2 dinners, I used two 8” pans.  It will not be quite as thick.)

Filling: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.  Stir in Cool Whip and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.  Spread over crusts.

Topping: Prepare Jell-O according to package directions.  After 1 1/2 hours of fridge time, stir in the strawberries and spread over the cream cheese layer. 

Chill and enjoy!

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Yes, I am a blonde, so I guess I am a little biased toward this recipe.  It is one of my favorite brownie/cookie recipes, and I have been making it for over 10 years.  I found it in the July 1998 edition of Bon Appétit magazine.  They had found this creation at the S-Moores Cafe in Augusta, GA.  It is a winner!  It is easy, rich, decadent and delish!  Here it is…

Blonde Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 cups light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I use 1 cup)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13×9” baking pan.  I use the wrapper from the stick of butter.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda.

Add sugar to melted butter and whisk to blend.

Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Gradually stir in flour mixture.

Add chips & pecans.

Spread batter in pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  I know, I know.  When this comes out of the oven, you will want to dig in with a spoon.  DON’T DO IT!  It’s worth the wait to let it cool and then cut into squares.  ENJOY!

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.”

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I just realized it has been two weeks since I posted a recipe on this “cooking” blog.  Not a lot of cooking has been going on since we have been feverishly working outside while the weather is so perfect, but I did make banana bread for a Relay for Life bake sale last week.

I had never found a banana bread recipe that I was really satisfied with until recently.  All the others that I had tried would turn out too dry or too heavy.  This is just right!  It is light, fluffy, and most importantly, moist.  It is also really, really easy.

Easy Banana Nut Bread

1 package yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

3 medium-large bananas

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2 8×4 loaf pans with non-stick spray.  Combine cake mix, egg, and milk.  Mash bananas and add them to the cake mixture.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in pecans and cinnamon/apple pie spice.  Divide batter evenly into the loaf pans.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pans.

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Did you ever wonder what a $26 cake looks like?  Well, here it is…

My co-worker, K, had the winning bid in our Relay for Life Silent Auction.  I have heard from several different people at her Easter lunch and they said they enjoyed it very much!  K let her husband pick from the 4 flavors that I had listed and he picked the strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting.  He told me Tuesday that it was really good, but he may have to try the lemon to see which one he likes better!

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Happy Easter, everyone!  For this special occasion, I wanted a special recipe.  What better flavor and color for this time of year than lemon!  The pretty pastel color fits perfectly with the season and the flavor is extra-special.  This recipe was originally made for a 2 layer 8” cake, but makes 20 cupcakes just as easy.  There are a few extra steps in this one, but the finished product is worth it.  The flavor of these are great for people who want dessert, but don’t like extra-sweet flavors.  The frosting is like a sweet-tart.

Lemon Cupcakes

2 cups sifted cake flour (sift flour before measuring)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk (just pretend that you see milk in the photo below)

2 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice (Yes, I guess you could use the bottled, but why????)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir together milk and lemon juice (mixture will curdle). 

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until pale & fluffy.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour, mixing on low speed until just combined.

Fill each cupcake cavity about 1/2 full and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Frost with Lemon Cream Frosting.  (Oops, I didn’t get any photos of the baked cupcakes before they were frosted.  Oh, well!)

Lemon Cream Frosting

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

To begin this recipe, we must make what is called “lemon curd”.  It is kind of like a lemon custard that is the base of the recipe.  This next photo is for the ingredients in the curd only.

Whisk together juice, sugar, and eggs in a 2 quart heavy saucepan.  Stir in butter and cook over low-medium heat, whisking frequently to keep the eggs from scrambling.

Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk and the first bubbles appear on the surface.  Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.  I made my curd the day before so it would be ready to use.

To make the frosting you will need the curd plus the rest of the original ingredients list.

Beat cream and confectioner’s sugar until it holds stiff peaks.  Fold 1/3 of whipped cream into chilled lemon curd to lighten.  Fold in remaining whipped cream.  Then frost your cupcakes and enjoy!  I used a decorator’s tip to frost mine, just to make them extra-special.

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