Chocolate Snowballs

I got the urge to bake tonight and realized that I had all of the ingredients for these.  I messed around with some recipes I found online, because I didn't have nuts, and this was the result.

Merry Christmas!



Chocolate Snowballs




Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup (or more) powdered sugar

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and grease 3 cookie sheets.

2.  Soften the butter and beat with the sugar (granulated, not the powdered) in a stand mixer.

3.  Add other wet ingredients, then dry ingredients one by one, excluding the powdered sugar.

4.  Work the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and arrange on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

5.  Cook for 15 minutes.

6.  Let cool for a few minutes, then roll in powdered sugar to coat.  Make sure they are still a little bit warm, this will aid in the adhesion of the powdered sugar.  

7.  Enjoy!

This recipe should make about 5 dozen cookies.  They are one point each on the Weight Watchers plan.

Meal Pics, Recipes to Follow

I cook every night of the week, and often I don't have time to post the recipe.  Yet, my husband encourages me to take photographs of my food.  So here are some of our recent meals.

Chinese Barbecue Chicken with steamed veggies and rice

Pork Chop with Applesauce, Rice, and Stir Fried Veggies

Pork Roast with Roasted Veggies and Gravy

Parmesan Baked Chicken with Sauteed Zucchini, and Veggie Pasta

Marinated Pan Seared Tuna Steak over Rice and Snow Peas

Chicken Pot Pie

Glazed Strawberry Pie

Chinese Chicken Salad

Herb d'Provence Chicken, Broiled Asparagus, Pasta

Beginnigs of a stew

Fish Tacos with purple cabbage and tomatillo and avocado salsa 

Falafels 

Crepes

My wonderful husband has one minor flaw.  He doesn't know how to cook.  "Big deal," you say, "you love to cook."  Yes, that is true, but some nights I just don't want to touch a pan.  Eating out gets expensive fast, and pizza is hard on both the pocketbook and the waistline. My dear hubby had to learn.

The first dish I taught him was crepes.  I am not a morning person, and, for a while, rarely ate breakfast as I ran out the door in the morning.  This really bothered my dear husband, who knows that breakfast is the most important part of the day.  (Later I learned that skipping breakfast is called the Sumo diet and can actually increase weight gain!)  So I taught him crepes.

My dear man does not fashion himself a cook, in an old fashioned way he see's that as my work, and is happy that way.  Yet, when he mastered crepe flipping, he was very proud of his new skill, and has since made this recipe for family and friends.

Crepes
Adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (soy milk works great)
1/2 t. salt
1 cup flour
2 T. melted butter

1.  Beat the eggs in a bowl and add other ingredients.  Mix until all lumps are gone.  This step can be done in a food processor or blender, or by hand.
2.  If the batter is fairly thick add another 1/4 cup milk.
3.  Heat a pan on medium high heat and spray with non-stick spray.
4.  Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and turn the pan so it coats thinly.  If it is too thick, pour some batter back in you bowl.
5.  Let it cook until the edges curl up and the crepe moves easily about the pan when you shake it back and forth.
6.  Flip the crepe, either with a spatula, you fingers, or by a quick back and forth pan motion, tossing the crepe out of the pan and catching it again on the opposite side.  (Find a video or someone who knows how to do this, it will make it much easier to learn.)
7.  Cook until this side slides freely about the pan, and transfer to a plate.
8.  Repeat until batter is gone.
9.  Enjoy!

This makes four servings, one serving is 6 points on Weight Watchers.


Crepe Fillings
I usually make some sort of fruit filling by taking apples, berries, pears, or peaches (or whatever else I happen to have on hand), adding a little sugar and water and cooking down in a pan till the fruit is soft.
Today I made this with some canned pears, I drained the syrup off, added some ground ginger, and mashed it a bit, then cooked until it was heated through.
Other good fillings include: peanut butter, nutella, powdered sugar, yogurt, cream cheese, savory items.  Explore a little and find out what you like.

Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken

This was one of the first dishes I ever learned to cook.  Tonight I taught it to my husband.

My fondest memory of this dish was one Valentine's day I prepared it for my parents as a romantic dinner.  Parmesan Chicken, noodles, and broccoli, and along with my siblings I set the table for a romantic dinner for two.  The four of us children dressed in our finest waiter/waitress outfits and waited for my parents to get home from a class they were taking together.  Unbeknownst to the four of us waiting at home, my mom would be returning alone, as my dad had another class that evening.  When Mom got home, we sat down and ate, we were all her date since dad couldn't be there.

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts
4 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat the oven to 400.
2.  Melt the butter in one bowl and mix dry ingredients in another
3. Roll the chicken in the butter and then in the bread crumbs.
4.  Place in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!

Broiled Asparagus

I'm so glad that my mother cooked vegetables in ways that made us love them.  This is one of my favorite ways to eat asparagus.

Broiled Asparagus

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Olive oil / canola/ vegetable
salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse asparagus and snap off thick ends- they don't taste good!
2.  Lay in baking pan and drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with salt.
3.  Bake until tender, taste it to see if it meets your preference.  Usually about 20 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup with Rosemary

This is one of my favorite dishes.  I am allergic to milk, so I rarely get to have creamy foods, and as strange as it sounds, I miss creamy textures.  So after having butternut squash soup for the first time, I decided to make my own.  Most butternut squash soups have dairy in them, but this one is dairy free, and can even be made vegan.

Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 4-6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1 Onion, diced
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 Tbs. fresh Rosemary or 1 Tbs. dried

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the squash in half and remove seeds and pulp (just like a pumpkin).  Lay flesh down in a casserole dish and pour about an inch and a half of water in the bottom. Place in the oven and bake until a fork can easily poke into the flesh of the squash.

2. Remove squash from oven, let cool while you cut onion.  Drizzle olive oil in a large stock pot, add onion and cook on medium high until soft.  Then add squash, carefully removing it from the skin.  (Caution: it may still be rather hot, use hot pads if necessary.) Add broth to just cover the squash in the pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the squash is falling apart.  Either mash or blend in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth.  Add Rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.  

3. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Cupcakes

So I didn't make these from scratch as I had some boxed cupcake mix sitting around leftover from an event I hosted.  But I had fun decorating cupcakes in true patriotic fashion.

Yeah, I'm no artist when it comes to frosting, but I though this was pretty cute.  I know a few little kids who are going to love them!

Happy memorial day!

Steak Fajitas

My new husband and I discovered this marinade when we were dating.  The first time we made it, my husband took one bite, cut off another slice, ran into my roommate's room and demanded she try it!  It truly is delicious and we've enjoyed it with pretty much every cut of beef with variations in the main marinade.

I play with the spices, adding chipotle chili powder to add a kick, or I change the lime juice to lemon or even orange juice.  For a sweeter taste balsamic vinegar can be used in place of the white vinegar.

The vinegar and lime juice tenderize the meat, so it makes even the toughest cuts turn out tender.





Carnitas Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

1/3 cup white vinegar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
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• Marinade from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Taqueria-Style-Tacos---Carne-Asada/Detail.aspx
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• Last night I made this with sauted bell pepper and onion, turning it into steak fajitas.  It was delicious!  My husband I couldn't help going back for seconds.
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Raspberry Cake

Growing up we would spend our summers following the fresh fruit harvests. I remember going with my mother and younger siblings to pick fresh raspberries, blueberries, peaches, apples, and strawberries from local farms.  Blackberries we picked from our own backyard.  One summer, my father used a machete to make a maze in the blackberry bushes in our backyard.  My brother and I would wander through, playing games with each other and picking berries.

We would use all of this fresh produce for canning, preserves, jams, and freezing, but we also ate it fresh with milk and a little sugar.  My mother also made an amazing cake with fresh berries.

This cake can be made with blackberries, raspberries, marionberries, and even huckleberries (though I would increase the sugar a little!).  I love it best with raspberries.  Fresh or frozen berries can be used, and the other ingredients are typical to most any kitchen.

Raspberry Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, cut in chunks
1 cup flour
1 cup + 1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup berries
1 Tbs. powdered sugar

1. Grease a 9 inch cake pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Combine sugar and butter with a mixer about 3 minutes until well blended
3.  Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, and eggs.
4.  Scrape the mixture in a cake pan, smooth top.
5.  Scatter berried over the top, sprinkle with 1 Tbs Sugar
6.  Bake on center rack at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until golden
7.  Let cool and dust with powdered sugar to serve!

Enjoy!

Salmon

Tomorrow night I am making salmon.  There are a few ways I love my salmon and I can't decide which I will pick.

 My mom picked up one recipe in Alaska that involves coating the salmon in chunks of butter and brown sugar, and barbecuing it on a cedar plank.  I do just that, but instead of a cedar plank and barbecue, I just wrap the fish in foil and broil it in the oven.

Another way I love to cook salmon is with a savory, lemony seasoning.  I rinse the fillet, pat dry, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper.  Then I broil until the flesh pulls apart easily with a fork.  I love it this way.  Instead of lemon pepper, seasoning salt or seafood seasoning can be used, or even Cajun seasoning for a little spice!  I always keep some extra lemon wedges on hand when I serve it.

Tomorrow night I think I will be trying salmon with seafood seasoning, fresh herbs, and lemon rounds, wrapped in foil and broiled in the oven.  Alongside we will have steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes, maybe rice if my husband asks (he loves rice).

Yum!  Have a blessed Sunday!

P.S. Aren't you all glad we weren't raptured?  The Bible says, no one will know the day or the hour!  But I am happy to know that when the rapture does occur, I will be in heaven with my creator singing his praises!

Potage Crecy

Tonight's dinner is homemade spaghetti, but as it was from a friend's secret recipe I won't be sharing it.  Instead, here is another of my favorite dishes.

I know a little boy who loves a book called Carrot Soup by John Segal.  It is about a rabbit, who goes to his garden to pick carrots to make his favorite dish, carrot soup, and when he arrives there all of his carrots are gone.  He searches and searches, asking all of his friends, who claim never to have seen them.  He wanders through the story, distraught, while all of his friends sneakily turn his carrots into his favorite soup.  This child loves to giggle at the antics of rabbits sneaky friends and celebrates when rabbit's friends present him with his favorite dish.

In my final semester of college I presented an idea for a French Restaurant to my French class.  I was the chef.  I presented 4 dishes, among which was this carrot soup.  This soup is warm and filling, comforting and thick, and very healthy.  The butter can be left out to avoid fat, but I think it adds wonderful texture.

Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
6 carrots
2 potatoes
1 onion
salt
pepper

1 Tb. butter

1.  Peel and chop carrots and potatoes.  Chop onion.  Put into stock pot and cover with  vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours.

2. Puree mixture, butter, stirring as it melts, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with parsley.

This dish is good with crusty French bread, homemade croissants, or crackers.
Enjoy!

The Saga of Leftovers

When my new hubby makes rice, he makes enough for a small army.  We eat as much as we can but there is always some left over.

So, to make good use of this rice I make big batches of fried rice!  This recipe can be adapted to anything in your fridge and freezer, and the way I make it, only has a few teaspoons of oil.

Fried Rice
Ingredients:
Cooked rice (Day old works great!)
Coriander
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Vegetable or Olive oil
1 egg for every 2 cups of rice, beaten
Mix ins- cooked chicken (I cook it up with soy sauce, all spice, other Asian seasonings), frozen peas, carrots, stir fry veggies, lunch meat broken into pieces, any cooked meat you have in your fridge, onion is good!

1. Drizzle about 2 tsp oil into a large frying pan or wok.  Add 1 tsp sesame oil and onion.  Heat over medium heat, add any meat or frozen mix ins and cook until warm through.  Add rice, breaking up and drizzling with soy sauce until it is light brown in color.  Mix all ingredients well.

2.  Once all ingredients are hot and rice is well mixed and broken up, add egg and stir.  Make sure that egg coats the rice, but is also cooked in little chunks.  Taste, add more soy sauce or coriander to taste.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken Soup

To me this recipe is synonymous with Grandma's house.  Every time we pulled up she had a pot of this simmering on the stove or a batch waiting in the fridge to be reheated for any hungry grandchildren.

I love this soup because it is full of flavor!  It is warm and soothing, healthy (full of vegetables), and great to make in large batches.  It freezes well and sometimes tastes even better reheated!

This soup takes a little bit of prep work, but it tastes like a gourmet dish, your friends and families will be blown away!

Moroccan Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tb paprika
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 lbs. chicken (I use boneless, skinless, chicken breasts)
2 Tb Olive Oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp saffron (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 of a small butternut squash (I usually use the whole thing!), peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, grated
2 Tb lemon juice

1. Combine paprika, cumin, and coriander in a small bowl.  Cut chicken into strips, toss with 1 Tb of the spice mixture.  Heat 1 Tb oil in a pot on medium heat, brown chicken in the oil, then transfer to a plate.  Add another tablespoon of oil, onions, and garlic.  Cook 5 to 6 minutes until onions are soft and translucent, add all remaining spices, including the mixture made earlier and cook, stirring for about a minute to release flavors.

2.  Add broth, squash, bell pepper, and chicken.  Bring the soup to a boil, simmer for 8 minutes.  Add zucchini and carrots and simmer until all vegetables are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.  Top with more diced zucchini and mint leaves.

Enjoy!

This dish is great fresh and reheated.  It always soothes my sore throats, and is very comforting.  It is good with cornbread!

I come from a family of cooks.

Growing up I was surrounded by cooks.  Every family gathering was based around food, holidays meant that the small kitchen in my childhood home was filled with people cooking and laughing.

Everyone around me cooked.  I spent summers sitting in Grandma's kitchen watching her prepare elaborate meals for the family, every dish made with love and care.  Every Saturday, Dad woke up and made delicious whole wheat pancakes.  My siblings and I took turns preparing dishes for the family, and making messes in the kitchen experimenting with apple sauce recipes.

Imagine my surprise when I began college and discovered that many of my classmates could do nothing more complicated in the kitchen than open a can of soup or microwave a burrito.

Potluck after potluck friends asked for my recipes.  Some things I made, such as the Joe-Joes in my first post, were simple dishes I learned as a very young child.

Now that I have graduated, I have decided to share some of my recipes.  Most are nothing fancy, simple meals, fun side dishes, and my forays into the world of finer cuisine.

Welcome to Dinner!

Potatoes!

I love potatoes, they have always been one of my favorites.

One of my most requested recipes is for my Baked Joe-Joes.  It is a very basic recipe, but delicious and perfect for first recipe of this blog,

Joe-Joes

Ingredients:

Potatoes (I usually estimate one large potato per person)
Oil (Olive, Vegetable, or whatever you prefer, I usually use Canola, the flavor is best for potatoes)
Seasoning Salt*

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash potatoes and scrub the skin well.  Cut them lengthwise into eighths and arrange in a baking dish.
2.  Drizzle oil over the top of the potatoes and sprinkle with seasoning salt (add more or less to taste).
3.  Bake at 400 until a fork can be easily inserted into the center of the fattest part of the potato.

*Seasoning Salt can be replaced by garlic salt, fresh herbs, chili powder ( I like chipotle chili powder), or you can use seasonings that echo those in your main dish.

Enjoy!

These are great with burgers or steak!  Always make extra, they go fast!