Sunday, December 12, 2010

Chocolate Chip Cookies

choc chip cookie recipe is as follows:

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c granulated sugar

2 sticks butter, room temp
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz semi sweet choc chips.

fold in choc chips after everything else is mixed.

375*F 10 minutes - makes 40 cookies. double batch makes 65 cookies (i'm guessing family members eat the dough as i'm working - why else would the numbers be so different?)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Peppermint Cheesecake

Peppermint cheesecake
350*F foil wrappers – mini muffin tin 15 minutes; 48 cupcakes

crust

1/2 stick butter, softened
1 cup crumbs from your favorite gingersnaps recipe baked earlier and crushed into crumbs
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract


batter

1 pound cream cheese
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 t peppermint extract
1/4 t vanilla extract
2 large eggs
pinch of salt
1/8 rounded cup peppermints, crushed



sour cream glaze

1 cup sour cream
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 t vanilla

combine sour cream, sugar and extract with a rubber spatula in a plastic bowl.  spread evenly and smoothly over top of baked filling and return to 350*F oven for 5 minutes.  remove from oven and place immediately in fridge to cool.  this prevents cracks from forming on top of the cake.



garnish

garnish with crushed peppermint

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Coconut Frosting/Filling

Today I put together a new filling for Crispy's Pumpkin chocolate Chip Cookies

Simply

take a bag of flaked coconut and put it in your food processor.  Zip it down til it's coarse crumblike in texture.

then add together

room temp:

8 oz cream cheese
2 sticks butter
1 t vanilla
1 bag of powdered sugar
and the coconut (fold in last)

voila, coconut frosting/filling.

yum.  coconut goes so wonderfully with pumpkin.  :)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Lasagna - the easy way! :)

My family LOVES lasagna.  However, I don't usually have the time to do all the pretty parts to make lasagna happen.

So this has been my solution - and it IS the real thing - only difference is, I just mix it together like a casserole.  *grin*  close your eyes and eat. .. yum.

I start with 8 oz of bowtie pasta or penne pasta (gluten free)  cook that up.

While that's cooking away,



Fry up:

1/2 pound sausage, sausage - 2 - 3 kinds is desirable for true italian flavor
1/2 pound pound ground beef
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
 1-2 cloves garlic, minced


cook til onion is almost carmelizing and all meat is cooked.  drain and set aside.

Mix together:

15 oz container ricotta
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup italian blend cheeses, grated (i buy from aldi - a cash only grocery store)
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley, chopped finely


Either pull from your pantry/freezer your homemade pasta sauce or use your favorite jarred sauce.


mix everything together in a greased 8x12 pan.

sprinkle  a bag of grated mozzarella cheese on top.


Put in oven 350*F for 1/2 hour or so - til everything is bubbly and smelling oh so yummy and the cheese is starting to brown on top.

Pull from oven and serve.

Voila, easy messy lasagna.  :)  and it's even gluten free!  *grin*

bake at 350*F oven