Divine Quiche

I had some asparagus that needed to be used, so I searched the Internet for recipes to try. Martha Stewart had a divine recipe for an Asparagus, Leak, and Gruyere Quiche. I made it for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it! Yum!

Ginger Snaps

I am always looking for great cookie recipes. My sister, Suzy, sent me this recipe for ginger snap (molasses) cookies and it is DIVINE! 

Ginger Snaps

1/2 C. margarine
1/2 C. shortening
2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 C. molasses
3-4 C. flour
4 tsp. baking soda


Beat first 4 ingredients until creamy. Add next 4 ingredients and beat well. Stir in just enough flour to make into balls,a nd roll in sugar.


Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet. You will be tempted to cook these longer, but I say NO! Also, I suggest softening your butter in the microwave first.

Note:  I used butter rather than margarine and the recipe turned out just fine! Also, I stuck to the suggested baking time and they stayed soft for a full week.

Costco Green Olive Flatbread Sandwiches

I love Costco. They always have the freshest, nicest produce and it's reasonably priced. I also love the Kirkland brand because I can trust that it will taste good or work well. (And who doesn't love their bargain books, pot stickers, and flowers?)

No, I'm not a marketing rep for Costco. I just love them. One of the many things I love is their tasters. I hate to buy something (especially in the quantities available at Costco) without knowing if I'll like it or not. I discovered a great item the other day during a tasting. Costco bakery now makes a green olive flatbread and it's delicious! Matt and I have been quite imaginative with it and I thought I'd share one of our creations along with some ideas for other ways to use this delightful bread. (By the way- as I was eating this I realized that every single thing used on this sandwich was purchased at Costco.)

Ingredients-
Green Olive Flatbread
Costco Rotisserie Chicken
Goat Cheese
Baby Portabello Mushrooms (thinly sliced)
Fresh Spinach Fresh Tomatoes (thinly sliced)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Cut the flatbread to the desired sandwich size and then slice it open. Lay it on a baking sheet.
Drizzle olive oil onto both slices of bread.
Crumble goat cheese on both slices of bread.
On the slice that will be the bottom of the sandwich you will put the sliced mushrooms and pieces of the rotisserie chicken. (Quantities according to personal taste.)
On the slice that will be the top of the sandwich you will put the fresh spinach (put more than you think you'll want because it will shrink when cooking).
Put the baking sheet in the oven and let it bake until the mushrooms are cooked to your preference (10-15min.).
When mushrooms are cooked, remove baking sheet from the oven.
On the slice that will be the bottom of the sandwich you will put the fresh tomatoes (as many as you would like).
Salt and pepper to personal taste.
Put the top of the sandwich on the bottom and, voila!

Some other ideas for the green olive flatbread-

• Balsamic vinegar tastes great with this bread, so adding that to virtually any recipe with this bread would be delicious. 
• I made a caprese salad sandwich with it- lots of fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella). 
• Goat cheese goes well with the bread and would taste nice crumbled across the top (you could heat it if you like). 
• It could make a great base for a gourmet pizza. 
• Red, yellow, and orange peppers would taste excellent with it.
• Excellent as a side to any pasta dish.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

I obtained this recipe from my mother. When we children were young she would often make this recipe and we all loved it. You know it's good when 5 young kids will eat something that's healthy for them!

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

yield 56 muffins

2 Cups All Bran Cereal

2 Cups boiling water

4 eggs 

1 quart buttermilk

2 Cups sugar or 1 1/2 Cups honey

1 Cup canola oil Can substitute applesauce for half of it

3 Cups whole wheat flour

2 Cups flour

5 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 Cups dried fruit (optional)

4 Cups Bran Buds or 100% Bran Cereal

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over All Bran Cereal and let stand till soft.

In a large bowl mix, eggs, buttermilk, sugar and oil. (applesauce if applicable)

Add the All Bran mixture to the egg mixture. Stir in the next 4 ingredients, just until moistened. If using dried fruit add it at this point.

Stir in Bran Buds. Batter may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks and baked as needed.

Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 375. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes...20 minutes for chilled batter

Microwave Oven: For one muffin, pour 1/4 cup batter into cupcake paper. Cook on high for 55-70 seconds, rotating 1/4 turn halfway through cooking

Note:  Being curious about the microwave option I decided to give it a shot. The first attempt looked like a smooshy mess because it all just flattened out in the microwave. I tried again, this time putting the muffin liner in a ramekin so it would keep its shape. That worked! I cooked it for 55 seconds in my microwave. It was slightly dry and didn't taste as good as the conventional oven baked muffins. Next time I'll try putting a cup of water in the microwave and see if that helps at all (though I'm sure that will necessitate an increase in cooking time). Have fun experimenting!

Hearty Meatballs

My sister, Julie, gave me this yummy meatball recipe. It's easy to make and quite delicious. A bonus is that you can freeze them for a night when you just don't have time to cook.





Ingredients
1 (6 ounce) package stove top whole-wheat chicken flavor stuffing mix
1/2 cup hot water
1 egg 1/4 cup light ranch salad dressing
1 lb lean ground beef 1 cut cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 C. ketchup (or other sauce of your choice)

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Combine stuffing mix, water, egg and dressing and let sit until moistened (while grating cheese)
2. Add meat and cheese; mix well.
3. Shape into eight 2-inch meatballs.
4. Place on greased baking sheet; spread with ketchup.
5. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Note: I don't care for meatballs that large, so I made them quite a bit smaller and had 20 instead. It only took 15 minutes to bake. I think this would also make a great meatloaf, stuffing for peppers or mushrooms, or served with pasta and sauce.

I don't particularly care for ketchup and I also like spicy food, so I made half of the batch with ketchup and the other half with Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & Crazy sauce. I highly recommend that sauce!

Snickers Salad

Most salads are healthy. This one is not. It is, however, absolutely delicious! My mom made this a few years ago and it's now a family favorite. A huge bonus is that it's super easy to make.



Snickers Salad
12 oz cool whip
Snickers bars (You can cut up regular size bars or fun size or just throw in a bag of mini bars)
4 apples cut in bite size pieces. (Red and green look pretty)
3 bananas

My mom usually mixes it all together and serves it in a trifle bowl. I used the trifle bowl and put everything in layers (whipped cream, apples, bananas, snickers, repeat). It looked very pretty all layered like that, but it all ends up in your tummy no matter how you serve it!

The Most Delicious Cheeseball Ever!

Our family has been making this cheese ball recipe for as long as I can remember. The recipe calls for you to make it into balls, chill, and roll it in chopped nuts, but we love it so much that we end up just eating it as a dip because we can't wait for it to chill in the fridge! Although I love nuts, I think I like this recipe better without the nuts. (I have actually done the whole roll into balls, chill, and roll in chopped nuts thing.)



Delicious Cheese Ball
3 eight oz cream cheese
3 jars Old English cheese
1 jar Roka Blue cheese
1-2 Tbsp grated onion
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1/4-1/2 Tbsp Accent
1/2 cup parsley

Instructions: Mix all together- let chill- then form into balls and roll in chopped pecans. It tastes delicious with celery, carrots, and assorted crackers. Some family favorites are Club, Chicken in a Biscuit, Wheat Thins, and Triscuit.


Note: Sometimes I just finely chop (or food process) a little onion or green onion instead of grating it. I know my sister will use dried onion in a pinch. I prefer using fresh parsley as well, but dried works just fine. I do think 1/2 cup is a bit much. The parsley is really just to help it look pretty anyway. Also, Accent is a spice and it really does affect the taste of the cheese ball. I had no idea what Accent was and had to call my mommy for recipe advice the first time I made the cheese ball.

Another Note: I tried freezing some. I only left it in the freezer for a few days, but it tasted delicious when it was thawed. Since the recipe is quite large that's definitely an added bonus!

Enjoy!

1st Annual Christmas Drop-In Party

Matt and I decided it was high time to get to know our neighbors so we hosted the first of what (we hope) will be an annual drop-in party for the Christmas holidays. The party was a success and the food was great! The menu included:

Cranberry Salsa
Double Chocolate Cookies
Cheese ball (we served it as a dip)
Snickers Salad
Baklava (Thanks to Matt's grandmother who sent this to us for Christmas)
Fresh Pineapple

Hot Chocolate Mix

One of my favorite childhood memories was helping my mom make an instant hot cocoa mix. The recipe makes a HUGE batch and it seemed to last for about a year. Of course, I was a child so my memory may be a little skewed. The recipe is HUGE though; that part of my memory was not skewed!

I had my mom dig up her old recipe and then ran off to purchase the ingredients. It cost approximately $25 for all the ingredients. We plan to put some of the mix in cute containers and give it as Christmas gifts this year.

One of the things I love about the mix is that it has dry milk in it, so it is just as though I had taken the time to heat up milk and mix in cocoa and sugar. Who has time to do that in real life though? One of the things I remember not loving was that it always seemed much more milky than chocolaty. In looking at the recipe it also seemed a bit too sugary for my grown up taste buds. I decided to make some adjustments to the recipe. I'll post the original recipe and then explain my adjustments. My favorite part of the recipe is the mixing instructions. Make and adjust as you please!

Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
1 20 qt box of powdered milk

1 16 oz coffee-mate (powdered)

1 2 lb. nestles quick (Now called Nesquick)

1 lb powdered sugar

Mix together. Fill cup 1/3 to 1/2 full with mix and fill with hot water. Stir, Sit back and relax!

Now- I decided to mix everything together except the powdered sugar. I thought the Nesquick would provide enough sugar. It mixed well and tasted just fine. I then wanted a darker, more chocolaty flavor so I added baker's cocoa powder to a small amount of the mix and tested it out. I thought it tasted great, but I wanted a second opinion. My husband tested it out both ways and agreed that he liked the cocoa powder. Here's my new recipe-

Anna's Hot Chocolate Recipe (2010)
1 20 qt box of powdered milk
1 16 oz coffee-mate (powdered)
1 2.54 lb Nesquick (It came in either 1.5 lbs or 2.5 lbs. I decided just to put in the full 2.5 lbs since I wasn't going to include the powdered sugar)
1 10 oz Baker's Cocoa (Most of them came in 8 oz containers, which I'm sure would work just fine. I just liked that particular brand.)

Note: This mix is HUGE. As you can see from the pictures, I used SEVERAL large mixing bowls and containers to mix it all together. I wanted to get all the ingredients really mixed in well, so I mixed a little of each into each bowl and then tried mixing them all together. When my husband came home he reminded me that we had a huge stock pot in our closet. I knew that stock pot would come in handy when I put it on our wedding registry! Then 20 qt stock pot did the trick. We put the lid on, clamped it down tight with our hands, and took turns shaking it. We also took huge ladles and stirred it around as best we could. The whole activity provided hot chocolate, exercise, and entertainment!

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

I am too in love with these yummy sliders I found on the Pioneer Woman's website. I have made them several times already and I'm pretty sure I will be making them again soon. Last time I made them with homemade sweet potato fries. Happiness on a plate.

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

Ingredients

⅓ cups Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less If You're Sensitive To Spice!)

4 Tablespoons Butter

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely

½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 pounds Ground Beef

4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares

8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split

Preparation Instructions

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.

Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings.

Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

I found the most delicious cookie recipe on FoodNetwork.com. Of course it is by the beautiful (and frightfully thin) Giada De Laurentiis. If you like lemon and you like cookies you will love this recipe. The best thing is that they stay soft for days. My family loves them and my husband asked me to make them for his office. Enjoy!

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time:2 hr
Cook Time:15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 44 cookies


Ingredients
Cookies:
•2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 stick unsalted butter, softened
•2 cups sugar
•2 eggs
•1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
•1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 lemon, zested
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html

Here is an easy recipe I got from a friend at work. It is quick and pretty tasty.

Loaded "Baked Potato" Soup

Prep Time:

15 min

Total Time:

30 min

Makes:

4 servings, about 1 cup each

What You Need!

1 lb. baking potatoes (about 2), cubed

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

3 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

1 green onion sliced, divided

1/4 cup Sour Cream

Make It!

MICROWAVE potatoes in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min., stirring after 2-1/2 min. Stir in broth and milk. Microwave 10 min., stirring after 5 min. Carefully crush potatoes with potato masher.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. each bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp. onions for topping. Stir remaining bacon, cheese and onions into soup.

SERVE topped with reserved bacon, cheese, onions and sour cream.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Holla!

So, I was tempted to make these by a friend on facebook. I had some time today and it was game on. These were Heavenly! I literally died went to heaven and came back. I should have doubled the batch but unfortunately I ran out of yeast. I think I will pick up some more yeast today and make these again tomorrow. Try these I promise you won't be sorry. Also I found this recipe online and made some minor adjustments to bump up the flavor. These are soft, light, and fluffy. The glaze is divine.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Carmel Glaze:
Makes 12

Rolls:
1/3 c milk
2 T butter
1/2 c pureed pumpkin (I used canned)
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 lg egg, beaten
1 pgk dry active yeast or 2 1/4 t yeast
2 c flour

Filling:
2 T softened butter
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/3 c brown sugar

Glaze:
1/4 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T heavy cream
1/4 t vanilla
dash of salt
1/2 to 3/4 c powdered sugar

1 Prepare rolls: In a small saucepan, heat milk and 2 T butter until just wam (12o-130") and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly.

2 In a mixer bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast. Add half of the flour and mix on a low speed for 5 minutes ( scraping frequently). Add the rest of flour and mix throughly (the dough will be very soft). Turn into and lightly greased bowl, then grease the surface of the dough lightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, it takes about an hour.

3 Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough. Roll out into a 12x10 rectangle.

4 In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread butter on on dough (I just use my fingers) and then sprinkle the sugar mixture on. Begining with the long side of the dough, roll up. Pinch the seam to seal. Gently cut into 1 in slices. Place rolls in a 9in. square pan or in 2 round cake pans.

5 Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 min.

6 Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, or until golden brown.

7 While rolls are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan melt butter. Add brown sugar and heavy cream. Cook on med low heat for 1 min. Pour mixture into a bowl. Let cool for a min or two. Add vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Beat until well blended and glaze cinnamon rolls.

Hello strangers! (Ok, I know I'm the stranger.)

I was just censured for posting pictures of food I've made lately on Facebook rather than the blog. So... ok, I'm back with a build up of bunches of recipes. But don't think I'm going to give it all to you at once. I've got to make these last a while!
Since it's autumn, I'll start with a perfect breakfast for a crisp fall morning.

French Toast with Apple Butter and Honey
I prefer to make this with good quality french or italian bread rather than plain sliced bread. I always mix vanilla and cinnamon in with my egg & milk mixture when I make french toast. After giving each piece a little butter, top with spoonfuls of apple butter and drizzle with honey or pure maple syrup.
Delicious served with a glass of milk.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Today my friend and co-worker Katelin brought in a bunch of tomatoes. Her dad brought them to her and she was going out of town... wouldn't want to waste all those yummy local tomatoes. OK, truth is another co-worker gave me tomatoes a week before that I still haven't touched. Feeling guilty to let them go to waste I decided to experiment a little bit. Tonight stuffed tomatoes sounded like a tasty dinner. After flipping thought a few recipes improvised and made own.

Stuffed Tomatoes

First I cut the tops off of 4 tomatoes and scooped out the seed and guts with a large spoon. Rinse off each tomato and let drain upside down on a paper towel. Next I sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms until clear, add some cooked spinach (I thought chicken would be good too but I didn't have any defrosted). Mix veggies with ricotta cheese (i used about a cup for 4 tomatoes), an egg yoke, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Combine mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Salt the inside of each tomato and fill with mixture. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 mins or until golden brown.

A wonderfully delicious dinner and I am sure they will make an equally enjoyable lunch tomorrow. Thank you Katelin. I wonder what else I can stuff in a tomato?

Potato Crisps

I have an alarming addiction to potato chips. I love the way they smell when I pull open the bag. I love the way they look when I peer into the open bag. I love the way they sound when I take the first delightful bite and it crunches. I love the way they feel against my teeth as I bite and how they rub lightly across my tongue. Mostly, I love how they taste. The salt, the flavor, the oil. I mean, why would I eat low fat chips? If I'm going to eat potato chips, after hours of literally working my butt off at the gym, they're going to be the full-fat variety so it's worth every single crunchy bite.

I'm quite particular when it comes to the brand of chips I'm eating. Lays are the best. I'll settle for Ruffles when necessary, and I've eaten Clover Club in a pinch, but Lays are really where it's at. I like a variety of flavors, but most of the time I'm happiest with the Classic Lays. I mean, why mess with a good thing? Sometimes simple is best... or at least that's what I thought until I went to England and experienced Walkers Potato Crisps. Walkers is the Lays of Great Britain. So, if it's the same company and same product, why are Walkers so much better than Lays? Because the Brits are freaking awesome!

They love the weirdest flavors: Cheese & Onion, Steak & Onion, Smoky Bacon, Roast Chicken, Prawn Cocktail, Pickled Onion, Tomato Ketchup, and Worcester Sauce . I mean, who doesn't love that? How did they come up with these flavors? I'm here to tell you that Prawn Cocktail and Pickled Onion and much better than they sound... so much better that my mouth is watering at the mere thought of them. When I was in England I bought a new crisp flavor each day so I could try them all. Luckily we walked about 10 miles a day, so the extra calories were negligible (and I lost 15 pounds).

I do wonder, when Brits come to the U.S. do they think our chip flavors are weird? I mean, maybe Sour Cream and Onion sounds as vomitous to most of them as pickled onion does to most of us. Regardless, I am left begging the question, "Why, oh WHY doesn't Lays sell those fantastic flavors in the United States?" I simply must have a bag of Worcester crisps RIGHT now!

Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

I made this recipe for the first time about four months ago for a large family function. I started with The Olive Garden dressing, but have since switched to Kraft Italian Pesto Dressing & Marinade. I consistently have requests to bring my pasta salad to parties. As always- you'll have to experiment to find the quantities and combinations that work best for you.

Italian Pesto Pasta Salad
Prep time 1 hour
Serves A Lot

Ingredients
1 bag of your favorite pasta (I recommend the Garofalo brand available at Costco) in Fusilli, Radiatori, or Penne shapes. (You could also use macaroni or bow ties, but I recommend the other shapes.) If you're making a small quantity you will obviously want to only use a portion of the pasta instead.
1 English cucumber (I recommend English cucumbers because you don't have to peel them, they taste superior, and they are prettier)
2-4 roma tomatoes
1/2-1 whole red/purple onion
1-2 cans whole, black olives
1 package pepperoni (you could use bacon instead, or no meat at all)
1/2-1 whole bottle Kraft Italian Pesto Dressing & Marinade

1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated hard cheese (I recommend Parmeseano, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano. They are all available in the Kirkland brand at Costco for very reasonable prices. The great thing is that they stay good for months, so it's fine to have a large quantity on hand.)

Directions
Fill a very large pot with cold water. Add 2 Tbsp salt. (I know it sounds like a lot of salt, but in an Italian cooking class I just finished taking we were taught to add quite a bit of salt to the water when boiling pasta. It really does make the pasta taste better and requires you to use less salt in the rest of the recipe, therefore making it healthier.) Bring to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook until el dente. While the pasta is boiling, chop the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion into very small pieces. I recommend cutting the cucumber and tomatoes in half and then, using a spoon, remove the seeds. This will make the salad keep longer and it doesn't become "slimy." Often dishes with cucumbers and tomatoes look and feel "slimy" because the seeds are left in. After removing the seeds, continue to cut the vegetables into very small chunks. I like to put the tomatoes and cucumbers in a large glass bowl and sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt on them. Cut the pepperoni into quarters (You may not use the entire package. I often only use half.) and add the pepperoni to the cucumbers and tomatoes. Cut the onion into very small pieces and add it to the other items. Add the olives. Grate the cheese. By now the pasta should be done. Drain it and let it cool completely. You could prepare the pasta one or two days in advance if desired. Once it is completely cooled you may add it to the mixture. Add the grated cheese. If the pasta is not cooled the cheese will melt, and you don't want that. Mix everything together and then slowly add the Italian Pesto Dressing until it "looks" and tastes right. It's really a personal preference how much dressing you add. I recommend keeping it in a glass bowl as plastic and metal can change the taste of a dish. You can refrigerate it for several hours before serving, or serve immediately. The salad will keep for several days, if refrigerated, as long as you've removed the seeds from the cucumber and tomatoes.

On a side note, I also like to take red leaf or romaine lettuce and "fill" several pieces with the pasta salad and then wrap it up like chinese lettuce wraps and eat it. That just helps me get an extra serving of vegetables in :) If I'm just making it for myself, I'll double the cucumber and tomatoes in the recipe to help me get extra vegetable servings. Also, be creative! I've added marinated artichoke hearts and green, red, yellow, and orange peppers in the past with great success. Have fun and enjoy!

Bleu Cheese Chicken

I love stinky cheese! It's so yummy in my tummy... well my mouth anyway. Even if you're not a bleu cheese fanatic you'll probably like this recipe. You really must make the dressing from scratch though as the bottled variety just isn't the same. I'd like to thank Ashley for directing me to this bleu cheese dressing recipe on the food network. I always make the dressing first and then put it all together. The dressing will stay good, if refrigerated, for up to two weeks and I think it tastes better after being in the fridge for at least 24 hours. After you've made the bleu cheese dressing you are ready to put it all together. The chicken tastes great as leftovers and will stay good, if refrigerated, for one week. I usually only cook for 1-4 people, so adjust this as necessary.

Bleu Cheese Chicken
Prep Time 15-20 minutes
Cook Time 30-60 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders (quantity depends on how many you're serving)
Favorite variety of mushrooms (quantity depends on how many you're serving)
Bleu cheese dressing (you may need to double or triple the recipe depending on how many people you're serving)

Directions
Make the bleu cheese dressing recipe (found below). Line the bottom of your baking dish (I recommend glass or Corningware) with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders. Chop up your favorite mushrooms (I like baby portabello) and generously cover the chicken. Then cover the mushrooms and chicken with the bleu cheese dressing. You'll see that it's an extremely white food at this point.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until the chicken is thoroughly cooked (about 30-60 minutes, depending on the quantity). When it comes out of the oven there will be dark brown spots, which is perfect.

It tastes great served over rice, baked potatoes, or pasta. Enjoy!

Bleu Cheese Dressing
makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (more if desired... I usually double it for the chicken recipe)
2 Tbsp sour cream (may use reduced-fat variety)
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (may use reduced-fat variety)
1/4 cup buttermilk (can double the sour cream and mayonnaise instead, but it does taste better with the buttermilk)
1 Tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped scallions (or finely chopped white onion)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, and blue cheese in a small bowl. Stir in buttermilk, vinegar, parsley and scallions. Season with salt a pepper.

The Yummiest Cookies in the World!!!

Well, Ashley posted the best recipe I've had for chocolate-chocolate chip cookies... so I have to post my famous regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. Seriously- these are good. It's definitely the butter. I got the recipe from my grandma, LaRue, a few years ago. I've been wowing people with them ever since. My friends and students beg me for them. It makes a pretty big batch, so be prepared. Also- it's imperative you follow the mixing directions exactly... they taste different when you don't... I promise!

The Yummiest Cookies in the World!!!
(Yes, that's what I titled this recipe when I got it from my grandma.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

1 pound real butter (2 cups)
2 c. white granulated sugar
2 c. brown sugar (you don't need to pack it)

Cream together for 3-4 minutes and then add

4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Cream together for 2 more minutes. In a separate, but small, bowl mix

2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix that into the creamed mixture. Then add

1 bag chocolate chips (more if you want)

Slowly stir in 6 cups of flour. Add the flour slowly and keep an eye on it. Depending on the weather you may not need all the flour or you may need a little extra. The dough should be pretty thick.

Use a small ice cream scoop to put the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake them for 9-12 minutes.

Yeah, I know. It's a big stretch. You really need to figure your oven out by experimenting. The oven at my sister's house makes perfect cookies at 11 minutes, my mother's oven is 10 minutes, my current oven is 9. To keep them soft I always pull them out when they are still white on top and barely browned on bottom. They are thick, so I pull them right off the sheet and put them on the cooling rack. They continue to cook a bit, but stay soft for several days. If you accidentally overcook them, or want to to be softer for longer, put a piece of bread in the cookie container. They'll soften up in a few hours.

Dunk the cookies in milk and you'll feel like you have a piece of heaven in your mouth!

Double Chocolate Cookie Heaven

Ha! I (Ashley) have been apart of this food blog for a while and haven't posted anything. What is my problem you might ask? Well, I love food so much I just didn't know where to start. So per Anna's suggestion I will start with these babies. I think it would very hard indeed to find a better chocolate cookie recipe or one with more butter (hehe). I got this treasure from my sisters mother in law (that is a mouthful). She was kind enough to share it with me along with a killer cheesecake brownie recipe, but that is for another post.

Double Chocolate Cookies
makes about 4 dozen
Preheat oven to 350

1 1/4c. softened butter
2c. sugar
2 eggs
2t. vanilla
2c. flour
3/4c. cocoa powder
1t. baking soda
1/2t. salt
chocolate chips (as many as your heart desires)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add eggs and beat until combined. Add vanilla and the rest of the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Then add chocolate chips.

I use a small cookie scoop and they come out just the right size. Otherwise make them about tablespoon size.
Bake for 8-9 min. on the middle rack. The cookies will be puffy when you take them out and will flatten out while cooling. Do not over bake.