Tag Archives: recipe

January 12, 2011 · 8:20 pm

Baking & Board Games: A Perfect Snow Day

Baking and Board Games:
What better way to spend a mid-week, school-canceled SNOW DAY!

With a little sledding, snow-fort making and hot chocolate sipping added to keep things balanced.

—

Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins (recipe below)
—

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe HERE)

RECIPE:

Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins

Servings: 12
Print

**Prep Note: the oats need to soak in the milk for 1 hour before adding the rest of the ingredients.

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tbs white vinegar or lemon juice)
1 cup rolled oats
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raspberries or mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chips

Combine buttermilk and oats in a large bowl and let stand for one hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Stir the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and sugar; mix to combine. Stir in melted butter. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care not to over mix. Gently stir in raspberries and chocolate.

Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched, about 15 minutes (they will take slightly longer if using frozen berries).

Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Aimée at Simple Bites

NoEmptyChairs.me

2 Comments

Filed under Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Cookies, Uncategorized

Tagged as baking, baking with kids, breakfast, brunch, buttermilk, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, oatmeal, oats, quick bread, raspberries, raspberry muffins, recipe

January 7, 2011 · 10:45 am

Southwest Turkey (or Chicken) Vegetable Chowder

I love soup season. I think that soup is a great year-round food, but some in my family don’t like to see it when the weather gets too warm. So I take full advantage of these cold, snowy months to make and freeze as much soup as possible.

This turkey chowder is definitely one of my favorite soups, and is adaptable to whatever vegetables or meat (turkey vs chicken) you have on hand. It is creamy, filling and has a great southwestern flavor from added green chilies and salsa verde (and some pepper jack cheese).

1-6-11 038-1

This soup is also a good example of my procrastination. Within a few days of Thanksgiving, the family was getting tired of turkey leftovers, so I put the turkey carcass in the freezer to make soup with soon. Is January still considered soon? The resulting turkey stock made a great base for this chowder, but you could also use canned chicken broth and shredded or diced chicken.

1-6-11 024-1

I served the soup with these Cheddar & Herb Drop Biscuits, which were perfect for dipping into all of that creamy goodness.

RECIPE:

Southwest Turkey/Chicken Vegetable Chowder

Servings: 12
Print

6-8 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped**
1-2 cups shredded cabbage
6 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup (8 oz) green salsa (salsa verde)
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, undrained
2-3 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1 can corn**
2 large carrots, diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped cauliflower (optional)
1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste (about ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp pepper)**

In a large stockpot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Drain bacon grease, leaving 2 Tbs drippings in pot. Add onion, celery and red pepper to bacon drippings in the pot. Cook until crisp-tender. Stir in cabbage and cook until cabbage is wilted, but not browned.

Stir in broth, cream and salsa. Bring to a gentle boil. Stir in green chilies, turkey or chicken, corn, and carrots. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and cauliflower (or any other desired vegetables). Cook for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Gradually stir in cheese, stirring until melted. Taste and season with salt** and pepper. Stir in reserved bacon, or sprinkle on top of individual bowls of chowder.

**I used turkey stock made from a brined turkey, so I did not add any salt. How much you need will depend on taste and the saltiness of your broth. In place of the corn and red pepper, you can also substitute a bag of frozen corn with mixed peppers.

NoEmptyChairs.me

4 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries

Tagged as cheese, chicken, chowder, leftover turkey, recipe, soup, southwestn, turkey, turkey broth, vegetable

December 8, 2010 · 7:57 am

2010 Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies Recap

Here is a recap of our Second Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies. For me, I am off to the gym to try and burn off a few of these calories.

Happy Baking!

—

DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars

DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies

DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies

DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies

DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies

DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars

DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars

DAY 11: Turtle Pretzel Snaps

DAY 12: Coconut Macaroons

4 Comments

Filed under Candy, Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, candy, christmas, Christmas cookies, cookie tray, Cookies, cooking, dessert, food, holiday, recipe, twelve days

December 6, 2010 · 9:23 pm

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Old-Fashioned Coconut Macaroons

DAY 12: For our final Christmas cookie this season, a traditional coconut macaroon. This is a flourless, gluten-free cookie made from coconut, egg whites, sugar, and almond extract. They can be made sugar-free as well by using unsweetened coconut and a sugar substitute. The ones pictured here are the full-sugar variety.

The “dough” is cooked on the stove prior to baking, which leaves you with a wonderful chewy macaroon on the inside and slightly crispy toasted coconut on the outside. Dipping the bottoms in chocolate is optional, but I definitely recommend it.

12-4-10 008-1

12-4-10 016-1

RECIPE:

Coconut Macaroons

Servings: 4 dozen
Print

1 (14 oz) pkg flaked sweetened coconut
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a medium saucepan, stir together coconut, egg whites, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly (a spoon drawn through the mixture should leave a clean path). Remove from heat; stir in almond extract.

Drop onto greased cookie sheets (or line with a Silpat) by rounded teaspoonfuls. Let stand on cookie sheets for 15 minutes before baking. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack. Cool completely.

Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, if desired. Place on waxed paper until chocolate has hardened.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars
DAY 11: Turtle Pretzel Snaps

5 Comments

Filed under Candy, Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as almond extract, baking, chewy, chocolate, chocolate dipped, christmas, coconut, cooked, Cookies, cooking, dessert, egg whites, food, gluten free, one bowl, recipe, stovetop, sugar free

December 5, 2010 · 9:14 pm

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Turtle Pretzel Snaps

12-1-10 029-1

DAY 11: Technically, these are a candy, not a cookie, but they still make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray. Sweet & salty; crunch & chewy. A great combination of tastes and textures.

These candies are a simple, fun alternative to traditional Turtle Candies. They are also an easy treat to make with kids. They can do almost all of the work themselves.

The base of these treats is a Pretzel Snap: the square criss-crossed shaped pretzels that look kind of like a window pane. Place the pretzels in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. You can use a Silpat, parchment paper or foil to line the pan. Top each pretzel with half of a caramel. Instead of a caramel, you can also use a Rolo candy. I prefer the flavor of the plain caramel, topped with a bittersweet chocolate chip. Using plain caramels also allows me to make some “chocolate free” candies for Little A. But the Rolos do save you one step.

Bake the caramel topped pretzels for about 5-7 minutes, until caramels (or Rolos) are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top with a chocolate chip. I like the Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, for both the flavor and the fact that they are slightly bigger than normal semi-sweet chocolate chips. (If you are using Rolos, you don’t need to use any chocolate chips) The chocolate will melt by the time you have finished putting one on each caramel. Press one M&M or toasted pecan half into the soft chocolate. Let candies cool completely before moving from baking sheet.

RECIPE:

Turtle Pretzel Snaps

Pretzel Snaps (criss-cross shaped)
Caramels or Rolos
Chocolate chips (if using plain caramels); I like the larger Ghirardelli bittersweet chips
Peanut M&Ms
Whole Pecans, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lay pretzel snaps in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat, parchment paper or foil. Cut caramels in half and place one half on each pretzel (Alternately, top each pretzel with a Rolo candy). Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until caramels are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top each caramel with one chocolate chip (omit chocolate chips when using Rolos). When chocolate is soft, press an M&M or pecan half into the chocolate. Let chocolate harden before moving to a serving plate.

NoEmptyChairs.me

3 Comments

Filed under Candy, Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, baking with kids, candy, caramels, christmas, cooking, cooking with kids, dessert, food, kids, pecans, pretzel snaps, pretzels, recipe, rolos, snaps, turtles

December 5, 2010 · 8:37 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Caramel Pecan Bars

12-4-10 021-1

DAY 10: Rich and chewy caramel coated pecans on a shortbread crust. Drizzled with melted chocolate and sprinkled with just a bit of coarse sea salt. I was a little short on pecans, so I ended up using about one cup of chopped almonds and 2 1/2 cups pecans. Thanks to Alice at Savory Sweet Life for a great cookie bar! The original recipe has you dip half of each triangle into the melted chocolate. I tried this, but I was not very happy with the results, so I ended up drizzling the chocolate over most of them.

To easily drizzle chocolate: melt chocolate slowly in the microwave. Pour into a Ziploc bag. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke a hole in one corner. Squeeze gently over cookies.

Cut into 24 squares while in the pan.

Remove bars from pan and place on waxed paper.

Cut each square in half to make 48 triangles.

Drizzle with melted chocolate (I used bittersweet) and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt.

RECIPE:

Caramel Pecan Bars

Servings: 48
Print

Crust:
½ cup salted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Caramel Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
3 ½ cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1 cup melted chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg and vanilla and beat for one minute. Add baking powder and flour; mix well. Spray a 9×13” baking pan with non-stick spray. Press cookie dough mixture evenly throughout the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to cook until mixture turns a dark amber color (like a dark honey); turn off heat, but leave pan on the burner. Carefully add vanilla and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Add toasted pecans, stirring and coating everything. Spread caramel pecan mixture over the cookie crust evenly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until cold. Cut bars into small triangles.

Drizzle bars with melted chocolate (or dip half of each triangle into the melted chocolate). Sprinkle sparingly with coarse sea salt.

Makes 48 triangles.

Recipe from Savory Sweet Life

NoEmptyChairs.me