This is my cute friend Natalie's recipe :) Its is chewy and totally delicious!
preheat oven to 350
Cookie
2 boxes of devils food cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
-mix all ingredients together- dough will be thick
-roll into little balls, place on baking sheet
-bake at 350 for 10 minutes
Frosting/Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
3 TBS butter, softened
-mix together and spread over a cooled cookie
-top with another cookie to make a sandwich/oreo!
-eat 50 of them, they are totally fat free, no carb, no sugar, and they have antioxidents! (ok, maybe that is just what I tell myself so that I don't feel guily)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Jambalaya *Lauren Perry*
This is a southern favorite! Its full of flavor and its great for company or football games.
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp (shells removed)
2 chicken breasts, cube
1 package of hot links (I use Hillshire Farm), slice
1 cup rice (I use Uncle Ben's- do NOT use minute rice or boil in a bag)
3/4-1 cup of chili sauce (I use Heinz and I use about half of the jar)
1/2 cup of green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of onion, chopped
1/2 cup of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 TBS butter
2 cups water
1/4 (or less) tsp of cayenne
few shakes of garlic salt and pepper
Directions
-saute garlic and butter
-add rice and make golden (do not add water yet)
-add veggies and saute
-add chili sauce and then water, briefly stir, do not stir constantly
-bring to boil, then turn to low
-add chicken and sausage and seasonings
-keep covered (but allow a little vent to let the steam out) and stir brief and occasionally- about every 15 minutes.
-add shrimp and cook for an additional 10 minutes, it is ready when the rice is tender and you have a small amount of standing liquid. It its not supposed to be soupy, but you also don't want it to dry. You should be able to get a few TBS of liquid off of it.
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp (shells removed)
2 chicken breasts, cube
1 package of hot links (I use Hillshire Farm), slice
1 cup rice (I use Uncle Ben's- do NOT use minute rice or boil in a bag)
3/4-1 cup of chili sauce (I use Heinz and I use about half of the jar)
1/2 cup of green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of onion, chopped
1/2 cup of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 TBS butter
2 cups water
1/4 (or less) tsp of cayenne
few shakes of garlic salt and pepper
Directions
-saute garlic and butter
-add rice and make golden (do not add water yet)
-add veggies and saute
-add chili sauce and then water, briefly stir, do not stir constantly
-bring to boil, then turn to low
-add chicken and sausage and seasonings
-keep covered (but allow a little vent to let the steam out) and stir brief and occasionally- about every 15 minutes.
-add shrimp and cook for an additional 10 minutes, it is ready when the rice is tender and you have a small amount of standing liquid. It its not supposed to be soupy, but you also don't want it to dry. You should be able to get a few TBS of liquid off of it.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Green Beans with Special Sauce *Lauren Perry*
This is sooo yummy! You must follow the directions. The horseradish gives it a slight bite and the sugar sweetens it just enough. We LOVE these beans! I had something very similar at a wonderful resturant over Thanksgiving in Arizona. This is my "mock" version with a few little changes. This is great with prime rib or a good meaty dish.
Ingredients
1 brick of cream cheese
1 tbs horseradish
1 cup whipping cream
garlic salt
pepper
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs of sugar (the slight sweetness is what makes this yummy!)
1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
*melt above on skillet
extra yummy add in's
-3-4 green onions, chopped
-5 pieces of candied bacon (4 to mix in and 1 to garnish the top)
-bread crumbs
-crispy fried onions
thaw out a bag of frozen green beans (about 2 lbs)
pour the above cheese mixture over the green beans
mix in the 4 pieces of chopped candied bacon and green onions
dump into a casserole dish
top with bread crumbs and bake at at 300 degrees for 20 minutes
top with crispy fried onions and bake an extra 5 mintues
Ingredients
1 brick of cream cheese
1 tbs horseradish
1 cup whipping cream
garlic salt
pepper
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs of sugar (the slight sweetness is what makes this yummy!)
1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
*melt above on skillet
extra yummy add in's
-3-4 green onions, chopped
-5 pieces of candied bacon (4 to mix in and 1 to garnish the top)
-bread crumbs
-crispy fried onions
thaw out a bag of frozen green beans (about 2 lbs)
pour the above cheese mixture over the green beans
mix in the 4 pieces of chopped candied bacon and green onions
dump into a casserole dish
top with bread crumbs and bake at at 300 degrees for 20 minutes
top with crispy fried onions and bake an extra 5 mintues
Chicken Soup for the Soul *Lauren Perry*
There is nothing like a good chicken soup! When it's cold outside, when you are under the weather, when you need a little pick me up...chicken soup!
Ingredients
2 quarts chicken broth or stock (I use low fat or low sodium)
2 large carrots, slice and chop in half
2 large celery
1/2 large white onion
1 rotisserie chicken, shred
8 ounces of egg noodle
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
onion powder, to taste
1 bay leaf
a bunch of fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon juice (or less... just enough for a little kick)
Ingredients
2 quarts chicken broth or stock (I use low fat or low sodium)
2 large carrots, slice and chop in half
2 large celery
1/2 large white onion
1 rotisserie chicken, shred
8 ounces of egg noodle
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
onion powder, to taste
1 bay leaf
a bunch of fresh parsley chopped
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon juice (or less... just enough for a little kick)
1 tbs sugar
Directions
throw veggies in pot and cook on med/low with either 1 TBS butter or a little chicken broth, until the veggies are tender (5-10 minutes)
Directions
throw veggies in pot and cook on med/low with either 1 TBS butter or a little chicken broth, until the veggies are tender (5-10 minutes)
add broth, parsley, noodles- bring to boil
add shredded chicken and cheese
season
move to low heat/simmer for about 30-40 minutes
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
English Toffee *Lauren Perry*
I have tried 3 different recipes over the past year and I could not get my toffee to turn out good! I was not going to let a simple recipe conquer me, especially since I am a huge fan of English Toffee. Its a ton of work and you need a lot of elbow grease, but everyone always appreciate a homemade candy treat. I called a "toffee queen" in my neighborhood and she walked me step by step through the process with this yummy recipe (I literally called here every 5 minutes while I made it). It turned out wonderful. Let's just say I had to burn 4 lbs of sugar and butter over the past year to finally find a keeper recipe.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 lbs of butter (4 sticks)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup karo syrup
1 tbs vanilla
1 bag of choc/chips or 2 large chocolate candy bars (I love Ghirardelli milk chocolate or Symphony plain milk chocolate bars)
pecans chopped (you could do as much as you want, I probably chopped 1 1/2-2 cups)
Directions for dummies... helpful tips
-Use a deep pot because the sugar might boil over, you want it to get foamy and boil
-melt the butter, water, vanilla and Karo syrup on med/low heat until the butter is fully melted
-use a WOODEN spoon. I did not know this but its very important
-spray a little cooking spray on a large cookie sheet or 2 9 x 13 's
-sprinkle your chopped pecans evenly on the cookie sheet/cake pans
-add the sugar to the melted butter stuff and stir with wooden spoon CONSTANTLY. You can walk away for a minute here and there, but you pretty much have to babysit the sugar and stir it for a good 25 minutes on MED/HIGH heat.
-you want the sugar grains to go away and you want it to glaze on the spoon. Make sure you don't have grainy sugar around the edges of the pot by constantly mixing it. It is going to get very foamy and raise, that is ok. Eventually it will thicken, change to a carmel color and drop a bit. If it gets to close to the top, remove it from the heat for 30 seconds here and there (while constantly mixing) and put it back on.
-It will be a pretty/light tan/golden color. A test to see if the candy is cooked, take a glass of cold water and use a drop of the toffee- let it drip off of the spoon into the cup on cold water. Let it sit about 30 seconds and taste it, make sure it is crunchy and not chewy. If its chewy, then its not all of the way cooked
-Pour the cooked toffee over the nuts and let it sit about 7-10 minutes.
-Add your favorite chocolate and let it melt, then take a spatula and spread it evenly over the harden (but warm) toffee. Immediately put in fridge (it takes way too long for the chocolate to harden at room temp)
-Once its hardened, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes at room temp and then chop up good size chunks and enjoy!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 lbs of butter (4 sticks)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup karo syrup
1 tbs vanilla
1 bag of choc/chips or 2 large chocolate candy bars (I love Ghirardelli milk chocolate or Symphony plain milk chocolate bars)
pecans chopped (you could do as much as you want, I probably chopped 1 1/2-2 cups)
Directions for dummies... helpful tips
-Use a deep pot because the sugar might boil over, you want it to get foamy and boil
-melt the butter, water, vanilla and Karo syrup on med/low heat until the butter is fully melted
-use a WOODEN spoon. I did not know this but its very important
-spray a little cooking spray on a large cookie sheet or 2 9 x 13 's
-sprinkle your chopped pecans evenly on the cookie sheet/cake pans
-add the sugar to the melted butter stuff and stir with wooden spoon CONSTANTLY. You can walk away for a minute here and there, but you pretty much have to babysit the sugar and stir it for a good 25 minutes on MED/HIGH heat.
-you want the sugar grains to go away and you want it to glaze on the spoon. Make sure you don't have grainy sugar around the edges of the pot by constantly mixing it. It is going to get very foamy and raise, that is ok. Eventually it will thicken, change to a carmel color and drop a bit. If it gets to close to the top, remove it from the heat for 30 seconds here and there (while constantly mixing) and put it back on.
-It will be a pretty/light tan/golden color. A test to see if the candy is cooked, take a glass of cold water and use a drop of the toffee- let it drip off of the spoon into the cup on cold water. Let it sit about 30 seconds and taste it, make sure it is crunchy and not chewy. If its chewy, then its not all of the way cooked
-Pour the cooked toffee over the nuts and let it sit about 7-10 minutes.
-Add your favorite chocolate and let it melt, then take a spatula and spread it evenly over the harden (but warm) toffee. Immediately put in fridge (it takes way too long for the chocolate to harden at room temp)
-Once its hardened, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes at room temp and then chop up good size chunks and enjoy!
Candied Bacon *Lauren Perry*
Doesn't the name alone clog your arteries? My best friend Jaime told me about this little gem, and I am obsessed! It is delicious in a salad or on its own. You can wrap it around those little smokes and bake them, you can add them to the cheesey onion dip (I've posted this recipe before). All I know is, you CANNOT go through life without trying this atleast once!
1 lb of quality bacon (I love a thick applewood smoked, splurge and spend the extra $2 for the good stuff)
about 1/2 a cup of brown sugar
- extra optionals, chopped pecans once the bacon is cooked
Put on foil on a cookie sheet and bake at 320 for about 20 + minutes, or use a microwave bacon tray (the easiest way). Lay the bacon out and use a generous amount of brown sugar. Cook until crispy but not burned. Once you remove from the heat or microwave, add an extra little amount of brown sugar (and chopped pecans if desired) and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it hardens and candies. Eat plain or chop in salad-
Sample Salad
Chopped Romaine Hearts (1 bag)
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 lb of candied bacon, chop into large pieces
1-2 avocado, cubed into small pieces
craisins
sliced almonds (I buy the honey glazed)
1 small container of feta cheese
your favorite dressing (I love Girards Champagne Dressing)
1 lb of quality bacon (I love a thick applewood smoked, splurge and spend the extra $2 for the good stuff)
about 1/2 a cup of brown sugar
- extra optionals, chopped pecans once the bacon is cooked
Put on foil on a cookie sheet and bake at 320 for about 20 + minutes, or use a microwave bacon tray (the easiest way). Lay the bacon out and use a generous amount of brown sugar. Cook until crispy but not burned. Once you remove from the heat or microwave, add an extra little amount of brown sugar (and chopped pecans if desired) and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it hardens and candies. Eat plain or chop in salad-
Sample Salad
Chopped Romaine Hearts (1 bag)
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 lb of candied bacon, chop into large pieces
1-2 avocado, cubed into small pieces
craisins
sliced almonds (I buy the honey glazed)
1 small container of feta cheese
your favorite dressing (I love Girards Champagne Dressing)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Choc. Chip Cookies *Lauren Perry*
I love when my friends find wonderful recipes and send them my way :) My sweet friend Tosha emailed me this yummy treat. Doesn't it sound like the perfect fall cookie?
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softenend
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 a cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups of old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips (i love milk chocolate)
Directions
Oven at 350 spray/grease cookie sheet
sift flour, cinnamon, spices, salt and baking soda in a large bowl
in another bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy
beat in egg and vanilla
mix in pumpkin, just blend at low speed- add in the sifted dry ingredients
add oats mix well
add in chocolate chips and stir
roll balls, 1 TBS in size, place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet
bake for 10-12 minutes (or until slightly brown)
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softenend
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 a cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups of old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips (i love milk chocolate)
Directions
Oven at 350 spray/grease cookie sheet
sift flour, cinnamon, spices, salt and baking soda in a large bowl
in another bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy
beat in egg and vanilla
mix in pumpkin, just blend at low speed- add in the sifted dry ingredients
add oats mix well
add in chocolate chips and stir
roll balls, 1 TBS in size, place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet
bake for 10-12 minutes (or until slightly brown)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)