Archive | Recipes RSS feed for this section

What’s for Dinner: Cheesy Breaded Chicken

19 Mar

If you’re like me, when it comes to making dinner you just want something easy and uncomplicated.

I spend a lot of my free time on Pinterest trying to come up with different things to make, and sure, there are a LOT of great ideas in Pinterest-land. But they’re not always easily executed and often at least require a trip to the grocery store, if not a lot of preparation.

So, I’ve had to come up with some old stand bys — recipes that never go out of style and are always good. One of my favorites is a breaded chicken recipe that I came up with myself.

Now, I’m sure you’re saying, “but it’s breaded chicken…how hard could it be? And how much creativity does that take?”

Well, in a way you’re right. But at the same time breaded chicken has its issues too — it can be bland, soggy, and (worst of all) exit the pan breading-less.

Luckily, I’ve perfected my version of breaded chicken. The secret is in the breading.

Here’s the recipe:

photo(63)

Cheesy Breaded Chicken

Makes: 4 chicken breasts

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup regular, seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (or whatever shredded cheese you have)
  • 1 egg
  • water
  • olive oil
  • garlic powder
  • ground black pepper
  • Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil)
  • Non-stick cooking spray

Tools:

  • 1 Large skillet
  • 1 glass or ceramic baking dish
  • Aluminum foil
  • 2 large shallow bowls

Instructions:

1. In one of the shallow bowls, crack the egg. Add a small amount of water to the egg and scramble it. Set the bowl aside.

2. Take the skillet and place it on the stove. Add a small amount of olive oil to the bottom of the pan — enough that the entire bottom of the pan is lightly coated. Turn the burner on to medium high heat and allow the pan to heat while you prepare the bread crumb mixture.

3. In the second shallow bowl, mix the Panko breadcrumbs and the regular bread crumbs together. Season to your preference with the garlic powder, ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning.

photo(62)

4. Once the bread crumbs and seasonings are mixed, add the shredded cheese and mix it thoroughly with the bread crumbs.

5. Now that the bread crumbs are mixed, the pan should be thoroughly heated and you can start breading the chicken breasts.

6. Using a fork (or your fingers), thoroughly coat each piece of chicken in the egg wash and then place it into the bowl with the breading mixture. Thoroughly bread each piece of chicken and lightly press the breading mixture into the surface of the chicken breasts so that they are adequately covered.

7. Place each piece of chicken into the skillet and reduce the heat slightly.

8. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken breasts are brown and crispy.

9. Spray the baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Place the chicken breasts into the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven, serve, and enjoy!

photo(64)

These breaded chicken breasts are amazing and so easy to make. They go great with a simple side dish and a vegetable, and are great as leftovers the next day too!

Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make them!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Easy Taco Stack-Up

18 Mar

Spring’s almost here!

You know what that means? Picnics. Yeah, I know, I know…who wants to think about picnics when it’s still snowing…but warm weather will be here before you know it.

So, today, I’m offering up one of my go-to picnic and/or party recipes: Easy Taco Stack-Up.

While it may not look like much, Taco Stack-Up is definitely a delicious little casserole that is easy to make and really versatile. You can dress it up or dress it down however you like! And, it’s not just good for a picnic or a party — it’s also a really great and easy dinner recipe too!

photo(60)

Easy Taco Stack-Up

Makes: One 13×9 in. casserole.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 2 cans Campbell’s condensed cheddar cheese soup
  • 2 packages of taco seasoning
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 package of at least 8 burrito (large) size flour tortillas (If you prefer corn tortillas or another variety, feel free to change it up)
  • 1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Tools:

  • One 13×9 baking dish (I use a clear glass Pyrex dish)
  • One large skillet
  • Aluminum foil
  • Colander/strainer
  • Ladle
  • Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Place the ground beef into the skillet and brown it over medium heat until it is cooked thoroughly.

photo(52)

2. Once the ground beef is cooked through and no pink remains, drain the beef. Once drained, return the beef to the skillet.

3. Add the taco seasoning, cheddar cheese soup, and water to the ground beef and stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Just in case you've never used it, this is the Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup.

Just in case you’ve never used it, this is the Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup.

 

4. Simmer the beef mixture on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and is no longer watery.

photo(53)

5. Once the beef mixture has simmered thoroughly, prepare your 13×9 baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

6. Using a ladle, transfer enough of the beef mixture into the baking dish to cover the bottom. Layer one and 1/2 tortillas over the mixture and start alternating layers until you are out of beef mixture.

photo(56)

7. After you have done  the last layer of the beef mixture, place two whole tortillas on top of the stack-up. (If you feel the top is not completely covered by those two tortillas, you can tear smaller pieces off another tortilla and cover open spaces.)photo(57)

8. Cover  the stack-up with aluminum foil and place it  in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

9. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the stack-up and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of the stack-up. Return to the oven uncovered until the cheese is melted (approximately 5 minutes).

photo(58)

10. Remove the stack-up from the oven.

photo(59)

11. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

last photo

At the beginning of this post I talked about how versatile this recipe is:

To jazz it up, add beans, onions, and/or green peppers to the beef mixture. Also serve it with your favorite taco fixings like sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Fast and Easy Pepperoni Rolls For Every Occasion

30 Jan

Superbowl Sunday — one of the biggest (if not the biggest) party days in the United States is upon us this weekend. Wings and pizza are the usual fare, but sometimes you want something homemade, and lets face it, a little less expensive to get us through the game.

So, here’s my extremely easy, pretty fast, and definitely delicious recipe for pepperoni rolls to help get you through the game!

photo(42)

 

Recipe Makes:  3 Large (approx. 14 inches in length) Pepperoni Rolls which are ideal for slicing for a crowd, or 6 smaller (approx. 7 inches in length) Pepperoni Rolls.

**For the purpose of this demonstration (and since I was making Pepperoni Rolls for a party), I made the large Pepperoni Rolls because I sliced them before serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Rhodes frozen pizza dough (contains 3 loaves of dough) or any other frozen or fresh pizza dough of your choice.
  • 2 8oz bags of shredded mozzarella cheese (approx. 4 cups) Note: You may not uses all 4 cups, but it’s best to have extra just in case.
  • 3/4 lb. of sandwich pepperoni (the large, salami size pieces) Note: Again, you probably will not use all of the pepperoni, but it is better to have more than you need than to run out.
  • 1 stick margarine, melted
  • Italian seasoning
  • Garlic powder
  • 1 egg, beaten

 

Tools:

  • Pastry sheet, or appropriate surface to roll dough on
  • Rolling Pin
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 2 Pastry/Basting Brushes
  • Saucepan
  • 10″x 15″ baking sheet

 

Instructions:

1. If you are following the recipe and using the frozen Rhodes pizza dough, follow the directions on the bag to thaw the dough. You can either place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or place it in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours. The dough does not have to rise before rolling.

photo(50)

2. Once the dough is thawed, set up your rolling surface. I use a Tupperware pastry sheet. Instead of using flour to coat my rolling surface, I spray the pastry sheet with non-stick cooking spray. For rolling the frozen dough, this works better than flour.

3. Separate the 3 loaves of dough. If you are making 6 pepperoni rolls, cut each loaf in half prior to rolling.

4. Place the first loaf on the pastry sheet. Spray the rolling pin with a small amount of non-stick cooking spray.

photo(48)

5. Roll the dough out until it is approximately 14 inches long and 8-10 inches wide.

photo(47)

6. Try to roll the dough out as straight as possible. If the edges are relatively even, the pepperoni roll will be neater and less likely to unfurl as it bakes.

7. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and add the garlic powder and Italian seasoning (there are no particular measurements for the spices — just add to taste).

8. Using the basting brush, spread the margarine mixture on the dough.

photo(49)

9. Evenly spread the pepperoni and mozzarella on the dough. (Use as much or as little as you wish.)

photo(46)

10. Slowly roll the pepperoni roll as tightly as you can, leaving the edge underneath the roll. Tuck the ends under roll also.

11. Spray the baking sheet and transfer the pepperoni roll to the baking sheet.

photo(45)

12. Beat the egg, and lightly brush the pepperoni roll.

13. Bake the Pepperoni roll at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

photo(44)

14. Let cool.

15. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

photo(43)

 

Questions? Comments? Let me know how your pepperoni rolls turn out!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Corn Dogs Aren’t Just for Kids: A Grown-Up Baked Corn Dog Recipe

12 Oct photo(21)

When I think of corn dogs, I think of Summer and of being a kid. I think of how much of a novelty it was to get this hot dog, on a stick, coated in…well…something. Don’t get me wrong, I like traditional corn dogs and every once in a while if I have the chance I’ll eat one. But, what I’m not a big fan of is how they’re made. I don’t like that they’re fried in all that grease, and I don’t like that you’re eating a questionable batter filled with who knows what.

So, when I found this awesome baked corn dog recipe in Food Network Magazine awhile ago I was really excited. I tried it out for a picnic and it was great. Now, you’re probably asking why in the heck I’m blogging about this now, you know, in October. Well, this sounded better than pork chops the other night so I made some and, lucky for you, I documented it as I went along!

 

Baked Corn Dogs

**Note, I am giving you the same recipe as appeared in Food Network Magazine and as shared in the link above. However, the photos included in this post was a double recipe (I froze the other half.)
Also, unlike the recipe included above, I leave the hot dogs whole and do not cut them in half first. They are easier to roll this way. If you want, it is easy to cut them in half after they are baked if you’re serving them at a party. Or leave them whole if you’re having them for lunch/dinner.

1 recipe makes: 8 corn dogs (you may have a little bit of dough left over)

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup reduced-fat milk
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika or cayenne pepper
  • 8 bun length hot dogs
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Equipment:

  • 2 Large Mixing bowls, one for mixing and one for rising
  • Wooden spoon
  • Spatula
  • Small saucepan
  • 1 large baking sheet
  • Basting brush
  • Silicon/plastic pastry sheet for kneading (optional — you could also use saran wrap or wax paper)

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan to approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a cooking thermometer, use it. If not, guesstimate.

 

2. Once the milk has reached 110 degrees, remove the milk from the saucepan and pour it in one of the mixing bowls.

 

3. To the warmed milk, add the package of yeast. Sprinkle it evenly over the milk. Let the yeast soften for 2 minutes.

4. After letting the yeast soften for 2 minutes, add the olive oil, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

5. Stir the milk, cornmeal, oil, yeast, and brown sugar mixture thoroughly.

6. Next, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and paprika.

(I used Paprika, but the original recipe also suggests using cayenne pepper.)

7. Thoroughly blend the mixture until all ingredients are incorporated.

8. Now you’re ready to knead! Unfortunately, this is the hard part. One downside of this recipe is that the dough, prior to kneading is very sticky. It is manageable, but To do this you have two options:

Option 1. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a flour-coated pastry sheet (or on wax paper/saran wrap). Again, the dough is very, very sticky. You will need to add flour to it until it loses most of its stickiness and you can knead it and form it into a smooth ball.

Option 2. I highly suggest this. Make the recipe in a larger bowl than you think you’ll need. Then, instead of taking the dough out of the bowl, simply knead it in the bowl. Keep adding flour and keep kneading the dough until it is smooth. This really is much easier than option 1. It’s much less messy and uses less equipment!

 

9. Place the kneaded dough into the second mixing bowl. Before placing the dough in the new bowl, grease the sides of the bowl with olive oil.

When you’ve kneaded the dough it will look like this!

 

10. Cover the bowl of dough with saran wrap and place it in a warm, dry place. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

11. Spray your baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and remove the hot dogs from the package.

12. Place a sheet of saran wrap or wax paper down on whatever surface you will use to roll the dough and wrap it around the hot dogs. Using flour is not necessary, unless your dough is still overly sticky. I actually sprayed a little non-stick cooking spray on my piece of saran wrap and it worked just fine.

13. Taking small pieces of dough from the bowl, use the palms of your hands to roll the dough into  long “snake-like” pieces. In order to wrap the entire hot dog, you will likely need more than 1 “snake” of dough.

14. Begin wrapping the dough around each hot dog, pressing it down lightly as you spiral the dough around the hot dog.

Note: The thinner your dough “snake” is, the more compact the corn dog will be after it is baked. If you use thicker pieces of dough, the corn dog will puff up considerably while baking.

 

15. Place the wrapped hot dogs on the baking sheet. Take the beaten egg and egg wash each corn dog.

16. Bake the corn dogs at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes or until they are a light golden brown.

Pair with the condiment of your choice and serve!

Enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Make Dinner Easy: Roast a Chicken in the CrockPot

9 Oct

Looking for something easy and inexpensive to make for dinner tomorrow night? Have a CrockPot?

If you’ve answered yes, then I have a recipe for you!

It’s no secret amongst my family and friends that chicken is probably my favorite food. Mostly, I love it because it is such a versatile ingredient. So, I’m always looking for new chicken-related recipes.

Although I don’t mind more complicated recipes, easy recipes are always great to have when you’re short on time or simply don’t feel like putting the effort into making some extravagant meal. For example, I made Chicken Paprikash a few weeks ago for the first time and by the time I was done I needed a nap (just kidding).

So, I was very excited to learn that you could roast a whole chicken in the CrockPot. Oh, I love the CrockPot…haha.

Roasted Chicken is always a good bet.

 

 

Ingredients:

– 1 whole chicken for roasting*

– 1 cup water

– Olive Oil

– Seasoning of your choice**

*Make sure you buy a roasting chicken and not a frying one. All of the roasting chickens available at my grocery store were around 6 1/2 to 7 lbs.

**I used Chef Paul Prudhomme’s “Chicken Magic” Seasoning. However, feel free to use whatever you want. Many spice brands have a rotisserie spice blend that would be good. Also, you can never go wrong with plain salt and pepper!

Tools:

– 1 Large CrockPot (Remember, you’ll need to have a CrockPot that the chicken will actually fit in. My CrockPot is oval and works really well for this kind of recipe.)

– 1 pair of tongs

– 1 basting brush

– A small oven safe dish or ramekin (to prop the chicken up with)

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken in your kitchen sink and remove it from the packaging. (This can be somewhat messy, so have your waste basket on hand.) If your chicken was frozen, it should be completely thawed prior to cooking.

2. Once you’ve removed the chicken from its wrappings, you will need to remove any of the “innards” (giblets) that have been left inside the chicken’s abdominal cavity. Sometimes the giblets are in a small bag, but sometimes they are loose. Your best bet is to use tongs to remove them. After you’ve removed these items, rinse out the inside of the chicken’s abdominal cavity.

3. Prepare your CrockPot. I wanted to prop my chicken up a little in the CrockPot, so I placed a small oven safe corning ware dish in the bottom of the CrockPot. Also, spray the inside of the CrockPot with some non-stick cooking spray.

4. Place the chicken in the CrockPot.

5. Take a small amount of olive oil and baste the chicken with it. This will help the skin brown and become crispy.

6. Sprinkle your chosen seasoning over the chicken, making sure to coat the legs and wings.

7. Before you begin cooking the chicken, pour about 1 cup of water into the bottom of the CrockPot. Feel free to use less or more, depending on your personal preferences.

8. Turn the CrockPot onto the Low setting and cook for 6 to 7 hours. If you wish to cook the chicken in a shorter amount of time, you could cook it for approximately 2 hours on High and then reduce the heat to low for another 2 to 3 hours. When it comes to cooking chicken, it is all about temperature. The chicken is done when the internal temperature of the meat is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Once the chicken is cooked, it will look like this:

10. Carefully remove the chicken from the CrockPot. Allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the chicken to retain its moisture.v

Serve and enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pinterest Made Me Make It: Chocolate Cobbler

8 Oct

I know, I know. I’ve been a very naughty blogger. But, I’m back now! Job hunting is time, and brain, consuming…

In my absence, I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest and have found a good number of awesome crafts and recipes that I’ve been trying. Some have worked out, some haven’t. And there are still many more that I haven’t yet had the time to attempt.

When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Cobbler last week, I knew that it would be one of the recipes I tried soon. I mean, really, who doesn’t love chocolate?

“Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler”

I found this recipe through this Pinterest-linked blog. The recipe, however, is actually from Tasty Kitchen recipe website contributor Susan Hawkins.

While I’ve eaten similar ooey-gooey chocolate concoctions before, I’ve never heard it called “cobbler” before. I mean, cobbler is supposed to include fruit, right?

Regardless of the name, Chocolate Cobbler is extremely easy to make (you don’t even need a mixer!) and doesn’t require any out of the ordinary ingredients.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, divided
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup (5 and 1/3 Tablespoons) melted butter
  • 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 and 1/2 cups Hot Water

Tools:

  • Ceramic or glass oven safe baking dish, approx. 8 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep.
  • Spatula
  • Whisk
  • 2 mixing bowls, one large and one small.

Instructions:

1. In the large mixing bowl, combine the flour, Baking Powder, and salt. To these ingredients, add 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder.

2. Using the whisk, blend these dry ingredients together so they are mixed evenly.

3. Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract to the mixture. Using the spatula, stir until the batter is thoroughly mixed and smooth. Set this bowl aside.

4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining granulated sugar (1/2 cup), the remaining cocoa powder (4 Tablespoons), and the brown sugar. Use the whisk to evenly mix the sugars and cocoa.

5. Even though the original recipe does not direct you to grease the baking dish, I went ahead and sprayed mine with some cooking spray to be on the safe side.

6. Add the wet, batter-like mixture to the baking dish and spread it out evenly. Then, sprinkle the sugar and cocoa mixture evenly over the batter. It will look like this:

7. Finally, pour the hot water over the top of everything. DO NOT MIX IT. Just let it be.

8. Place the baking dish in a 350 degree oven and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, test the center of the cobbler with a toothpick. If it is still extremely wet when you pull it out, bake the cobbler for another 5 minutes. (NOTE: The toothpick will never come out completely clean since this is cobbler, and not cake or brownies. Use your best judgement.)

9. Remove the cobbler from the oven, let cool for at least 10 minutes and enjoy!

The cobbler is very similar to volcano cake or chocolate melting cake. It is meant to be eaten warm. The top is a crunchy, cake like crust and the inside is a molten chocolate sauce. Very good, but also best in small quantities. Add ice cream if desired — it is cobbler after all!

Note: I refrigerated the cobbler after people were done eating it. While I normally wouldn’t do this with brownies, cookies, or cake I wasn’t sure how the cobbler would behave since it was both wet and dry. (Better safe than sorry.)

I really liked this recipe, but I wonder how you could change it up a little bit. It would be interesting to try different types of chocolate (maybe dark chocolate) or possibly see how it behaved with different types of flour.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Easiest, Most Delicious Potato Recipe Ever

4 Sep photo

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Smells, sounds, tastes, feelings that just send you back to a previous time and place. It’s really amazing if you think about it. I heard a song on the radio last week that I probably hadn’t heard since it was first popular in 2000 — you know, one of those one hit wonder songs that were so bad they were good?  Even though I cringed at the lyrics that I now get at age 24 and went over my head at age 12, I still smiled and chuckled. It made me remember the people and events I spent those formative years with, and those memories, bad song or not, are always worth remembering.

But random memory triggers aren’t the only things that can bring you warm feelings. Consistency does that too.

Every Christmas Day, I go to my Aunt Susie’s (my Grandma’s sister) house for a huge Christmas open house. Situated on the border of a large park system, her house is a dream for a history person like me. It is filled with hidden nooks and crannies, with a double staircase, and a summer kitchen. And every year, like clockwork, she and my Grandma make what they have dubbed “Christmas Potatoes.” Even when my Grandma makes them at other times in the year (for smaller occasions) she still calls them Christmas Potatoes.

Really, they could be called Hungarian Potatoes. Or Paprika Potatoes. Or as they’re called in my own brain, Amazing Potatoes.

They’re probably so good because they are just so simple.

So, I figured I share the recipe with you.

Amazing and Easy Paprika Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cans of Whole White or Whole New Potatoes*

1 stick of margarine (or butter)

1 heaping teaspoon of good Hungarian Paprika**

*The two names are interchangeable — they’re the same thing.

**The paprika is the most important ingredient. While you can make the potatoes with any kind of paprika, the better the  quality, the better the taste.

 

Instructions:

1. Open and drain the cans of potatoes. Cut any dark spots off the potatoes.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine.

3. Add the paprika to the margarine, stir.

4. Drop the potatoes in the paprika-margarine mixture and coat them thoroughly.

5. Place the potatoes in an oven safe dish. I use a cookie sheet, but any oven safe dish or pan will work. Cover with aluminum foil.

6. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

7. Enjoy!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cookie Table Project #2 – M&M Cookies

23 May

If you had asked me a month ago how often I’d be able to blog during the month of May, I probably would have said often. Well, it’s May 23rd and this is my first blog post for the month of May. Worse yet, I started my Cookie Table series of posts a long time ago and have only given you one recipe. Don’t worry — I promise I will be better about this. Look for several cookie-related posts in the next 2 weeks. My cousin’s wedding is just around the corner, so cookies need to be made soon. Especially be on the lookout for the Thumbprint Cookie recipe that I plan on blogging about sometime next week — it’s not to be missed!

As I discussed in my last post, things have been crazy. I finished my thesis and it was approved by my committee and by the Dean of the graduate school. Oh yeah, and I graduated on Saturday. So did Abbie! Yay for the Master’s Degree Dames!

Here’s a picture:

 

So, now that graduation is over, I have a lot of free time and I plan on blogging more.

And with that, I give you my new favorite M & M cookie recipe:

 

Red’s Ultimate M&M’s Cookies

Unlike the Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies I blogged about in March, I didn’t get this recipe from Pinterest. Instead, I used good old Google to find a good M&M cookie recipe. And who better to turn to than M&M’s themselves for a perfect recipe?

Even though I made them completely from scratch, these cookies were relatively simple to make and only took me about 1 hour from dough to cooling rack.

I modified the recipe slightly by using margarine instead of butter, and I have written the recipe on this blog post to reflect that change, but the link above will take you to the M&M’s website which has the original recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup margarine, softened (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1- 12 ounce package mini M&M’s candies

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or in any stand mixer (I use my awesome KitchenAid Mixer), combine the margarine, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat mixture until is it blended well.

2. To this mixture, add the egg and the vanilla. Beat for approximately 1 minute until the mixture is well blended and creamy.

3. Add the flour and baking soda. Add the flour one cup at a time and blend after each cup, that way the flour won’t go flying when you turn the beaters back on.

 

4. Mix the flour and baking soda into the sugar mixture well, until it looks like this:

Don’t mind my Christmas mini M&M’s — they were leftover from the holidays. Can’t let them go to waste!

5. Finally, add the 12 ounce bag of mini M&Ms to the dough and fold them in using a spoon or spatula. Do NOT use the mixer to mix in the M&Ms — you’ll end up with broken M&Ms and a mess (especially if using a traditional mixer or hand mixer with the 2 metal beaters).

6. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray. I use two cookie sheets at a time to make things go faster.

7. Drop approximately 2 teaspoons worth of dough for each cookie, placing each cookie 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. I can get 12 cookies on each cookie sheet.

8. Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. They will still be soft in the middle. As the M&M website says, be careful not to overbake them.

This recipe makes about 50 cookies and they taste really good.

Definitely by careful about how long you bake them — if you leave them in too long, they tend to flatten out and become hard and crispy.

I’m not sure if I’ll make these for my cousin’s wedding, but they were fun and delicious to make anyway. :-)

Happy Baking!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Channeling Stress Into Something Worth Sharing

27 Apr

It’s 6:58 a.m. on a Friday morning. The one day of the week that I don’t have to be up early to go to classes or be productive early in the morning. Why so Jeannette, you may ask?

It’s the last week of the semester. Finals weeks is right around the corner. Who could sleep knowing how much has to get done in the next few days? Oh, and my kitten was wide awake and in my face by 6:30 a.m., but we’ll just chalk it up to the impending doom that is finals week.

Finals week comes but twice a year (three, if you’re lucky ;) and it never fails to sneak up on you…or  maybe that’s just me. Perhaps it’s not finals week that is so stressful for me at this point. It may just be everything else leading up to finals week, particularly the last week of classes, that makes me question how I’m ever going to survive another 5 or 6 years of this. Stress levels are heightened, tensions are high, and people are cranky. Relationships are questioned, memories are replayed of how you possibly could have missed those two extra points that will now prevent you from getting that A, and all you want to do is take a quick break from the craziness around you.

At this point, some people may resort to doing something destructive. Drinking too much, gambling away your life’s savings, or even just completely shutting down and pretending the world around you doesn’t exist. Me? I bake.

I’ve often found baking to be a relatively stress free activity. With baking, you have the world at your fingertips. You can bake anything and everything you’ve ever wanted. You can try out that old family recipe for homemade apple pie, or you can test out your knowledge of how ingredients interact and end up with something really great (…or sometimes in my case, something that won’t be worth recreating). Whatever the case may be, I channeling my stress into bake. At the end, you’re left with a delicious treat that can be shared…or kept for yourself :) …and you’ve managed to make other people happy (hopefully) too. Perhaps that’s another reason I like baking so much. I like to share and it makes me happy when other people are happy.

 So, yesterday I was feeling particularly stressed out. This is the result.

 

Peanut butter cookies and fudge brownies.

I wish I had a takeaway message from this post. I’m not sure there is one, but I guess the point is that being stressed out doesn’t mean you have to cope with it negatively (oh my goodness, can you hear the psychologist in me coming out?). Bake and share. Take pictures and enter them in a contest. Go for a run and get in shape for that upcoming race. Whatever the case may be, you can find a way to channel your stress into something positive :)

Happy baking to you all <3

Tags: , , , , , ,

Cookie Table Project: Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies

9 Mar

Note: This is part one of a double post (the posts, though, are unrelated and do not have to be read in order).

———————————————————————————————————————————–

In my last post, I gave you a little history lesson on the cookie table and previewed the first cookie I was going to try in my little “cookie experiment” in the months leading up to my cousin’s wedding.

The first cookie I  tried was: Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies. I found the recipe through Pinterest, but the original recipe can be found on the TidyMom.net blog.

Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Lemon Cake Mix (approximately 18 oz)
  • 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
  • 1 egg*
  • Powdered Sugar

Baking Tools:

  • Parchment Paper
  • Stand or Hand Mixer
  • Cookie Sheet(s)

Parchment paper is essential for making this recipe. Plus, it makes cleaning up a breeze!

 

Directions:

  1. If your Cool Whip is frozen, make sure to thaw it completely before starting.
  2. In a bowl, combine the cake mix,  Cool Whip, and egg.
  3. Beat the mixture well, for 1-2 minutes, until all ingredients are fully incorporated into one another. The dough will be slightly sticky and look a little like taffy.
  4. Place approximately 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl (to roll the cookies in before placing them on the baking sheet.)
  5. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. IMPORTANT: Do NOT use wax paper. Wax paper should not be used to bake with and is not an alternative for parchment paper.
  6. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the powdered sugar, completely coating the dough ball before placing it on the cookie sheet. 
  7. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

    These are what the cookies look like when about 2/3 of the way done. They will still be soft when you take them out, but leaving them sit for a minute or so will make them firm.

  8. Cookies will be soft when first removed from oven.
  9. Cool cookies on a rack.
  10. Eat!

 

Tips:

  • *A commenter on the TidyMom.net blog suggested using 2 eggs for a fluffier cookie. I might try this next time. My cookies were a little flat, but not so flat that they were a failure.
  • Thaw your Cool Whip but keep it cold. The colder the Cool Whip is, the easier the dough is to handle. I definitely noticed that as the dough got warmer, the cookies didn’t come out as nice.
  • Watch out for the powdered sugar! Coating the dough leaves a lot of powdered sugar on the baked cookies and if you inhale the wrong way, you’re left with a powdered sugar-induced coughing fit. Haha!

 

The Verdict:

These cookies were amazing. Plain and simple. They were light and slightly chewy. Just lemony enough without being overpowering and not overly sweet. I will definitely make them again and hope to make them for my cousin’s wedding. The only downside to them is that I don’t think they are the kind of cookie that will freeze well, so I’d have to make them close to the event.

:-)

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 41 other followers

%d bloggers like this: