I like many of Rachel Ray’s recipes, or I should say, the one’s I’ve seen look good, but for some reason, I’ve only ventured to cook a few of her dishes. In her cookbook, Rachel Ray’s Look + Cook, I did find a lot of recipes that I know my family would enjoy, so I thought I’d check a few out! Continue reading
A few of the girls shared the recipes they used for the cookies they brought to our Christmas Cookie Exchange, so I thought I’d share them here.
Suzanne's Candy Cane Cookies
First up, we have Suzanne’s Candy Cane Cookies. She was crazy enough to make cookies that actually included dough that had to be tinted, rolled and shaped! Thanks to her, our cookie trays looked much more festive!
Candy Cane Cookies
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup Confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Red food coloring
Cream butter and shortening; add eggs and Confectioner’s sugar. Blend in vanilla and peppermint extract. Add flour and salt. Divide dough in half; wrap one half in wax paper. Add red food coloring to the other half, one to two drops at a time, until the desired color is reached. Wrap red dough in wax paper. Refrigerate both halves of dough for at least one hour.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet. Take 1/2 teaspoon of each color and roll out into long snake shape; twist both pieces together and shape top in the form of a candy cane. Place each candy cane on greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before carefully removing from cookie sheet and placing on cooling rack. Let cool completely.
Joanne's Chocolate Chipper Champs
The next recipe is for Joanne’s Chocolate Chipper Champs. Joanne claims not to be a baker, and her Christmas Cookie exchange efforts were almost thwarted when the rule for “no chocolate chip cookies’ was put into place. My plan was to help Joanne find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies with a Christmas spin, but she found the Chocolate Chipper Champ recipe all on her own, and made her “christmas” cookies! She used holiday M&M’s that actually had a mint flavor, and these cookies were delicious!
Chocolate Chipper Champs
4 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 1/4 cups butter, softened
6 teaspoons vanilla
6 eggs
6 3/4 cups flour
6 cups M&M’s plain chocolate candy
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let cool.
So today was the big Christmas Cookie Exchange at work, and it was great! Everyone’s cookies looked so awesome, and so far, the taste tests are proving awesome too. No one broke the “rules”, we had a big assortment of cookies, and we were even able to put a few trays out to share with the slackers…er…co-workers who didn’t want to join in the fun! (just kidding….but next year there may not be free samples)! Continue reading
In my quest for cookies to bake for our Christmas Cookie Exchange, I decided to try Martha Stewart’s version of Rugelach cookies – - Rugelach Fingers. These were fairly easy to make, and the dough was scrumptious – - wonderful butter flavor and just the right flakiness! Continue reading
I’ve been so busy, and haven’t been baking as much as I normally do, but last weekend, I wanted to make cupcakes in such a bad way! I’ve been trying to eat healthier, and even though I definitely work at giving away much of what I bake, I’ve been known to still nibble a bit here and there so I haven’t wanted cupcakes in the house! I thought with Banana cupcakes, I would be safe….they would be the type of cupcakes (non-chocolate), that I could easily pass up… I couldn’t have been more wrong!
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In case you missed my last post, I am participating in a cookie exchange at work, and have been trying to figure out what to make. Actually, to avoid duplication, everyone is going to share what they will be making, so I’m really feeling the pressure of making a decision and letting everyone know! Continue reading
It’s almost Christmas – - have you started your Christmas cookies, or have you just begun to worry about how you’ll get them done in time?
Last week at work we were talking about Christmas cookies — what kinds we liked, what we were going to make, etc… Man, there are so many different types, I was feeling overwhelmed with trying to figure out just how much of a variety I would actually be able to make in time for Christmas.
Then I had a thought – “cookie exchange”…and within seconds, I was jumping from my chair saying it out loud – “Let’s have a cookie exchange!” I was excited, really I was. What a great way to get a large variety of cookies without having to bake them all yourself! I was even more excited when my co-worker Brenda (a.k.a. Cookie Exchange co-conspirator) actually thought it was a good idea. After that, it was easy peasy to get others to jump on the cookie baking band wagon. I was damn near giddy….I hope I don’t live to regret it. No one will bring store bought cookies will they? Continue reading
This is the second version of chowder that my husband made in his attempt to make room in the freezer for venison. The first version he made was Manhattan Style Walleye Chowder, and it was so tasty! Normally, I’d be having a fit if there wasn’t room in the freezer for my Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream, but I’m trying to be good, so I’m not going to worry about it! Continue reading
Great use for leftover turkey!
I posted this recipe back in May for Chicken Potato Hash with Fried Eggs, but I figured this would be a great way to get a little creative with your leftover turkey. I made some this morning, substituting the 1 cup of chicken for 1 cup of turkey breast, and it was delicious!
A fish recipe from the ManCave – - yes, my husband does cook. He has a pretty good repertoire actually, but I definitely leave it to him to cook his catch of the day, his venison, and whatever else he might bring home from his manly man adventures. Continue reading