Cookie and/or Gift in a Jiff

OK, you need a cookie or a gift fast---I mean really fast.......here it is.....SEVEN LAYER COOKIES...7 ingredients

 

and 7 minutes to assemble!

Bake for 30 minutes and let cool completely

then cut into small squares and just try to eat only one!!!

SEVEN LAYER COOKIES

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup crushe crushed graham crackers

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup flaked coconut

1cup chopped walnuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the butter in a 9 x 13 pan and let melt in the oven.  Once the butter is melted, take it out of the oven and sprinkle evenly over the butter in this order:  crushed graham crackers, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts.  Slowly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the layers,  the corners and edges of the pan too.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the edges are nice and brown and the center is not to jiggly when you move the pan.

Food Gifts

A Tasty Gift for Giving

It's that time of the month to start thinking about gift giving.  Since I knew that today I wanted a small gift to give a friend, I decided to make toffee.  Years ago, when my son was a cub scout, the pack put out a recipe book that contained this recipe.  It's great, it's easy and you don't need a candy thermometer, something I don't even know how to use.  You do need a bit of time to make it, since after assembly, the toffee needs to "dry" before you can break it up and package it, so, it is best to make it the night before you give it away, if you can keep yourself and snooping family members from eating all of it!!!

ENGLISH TOFFEE

1 bag of milk or dark chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips)

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

About 2 cups chopped pecans (yes, they are expensive but other nuts won't do and THIS IS A GIFT)

Spray a 13 x 9 glass pan with Pam.  Chop the pecans,  

spread them on the bottom of the pan.

 

Cook the butter, sugar and vanilla over medium high heat, stirring constantly.  The mixture will go from a beige color and very bubbly and frothy

to a caramel color that is less frothy.  Take the mixture off the heat just when the butter starts to separate from the sugar.  Pour over the pecans.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee.  Let them set for a few minutes to melt

then spread the chocolate with a knife (an off-set knife works well for this).

The chocolate will have a very shiny look to it.

When the chocolate is dry, it will have a dull color to it.

Break up the toffee in the pan with a knife into chunks. 

Place in festive packaging and watch the smiles as you give a homemade gift to friends!

Restaurant Time

Get to THE GREEK

The Greek is a restaurant on Clinton Ave. that opened two months ago.  Run by the owners of State College's famous Waffle Shop, the Greek is a great addition to all the wonderful food options that State College has to offer.

For date night last week, the hubby and I finally got into the place.  You see, it is so popular, one night a few weeks ago we tried to get in and there was a 30 minute wait -- that was just to order your food!  It was not a football weekend either.  I heard a person in the line say "Now I wish that I had not told so many people how great this place was."

This is an "order at the counter" type place, but don't let that make you think this is a "Greek McDonald's!"  You order, you find a table in one of the two lovely seating areas (ground floor or upstairs), enjoy the Greek music and decor, under the Mediterranean blue sea color of the ceiling, and a waitress brings your order to you.  On real plates, not plastic.  With real silverware.

Enjoy the fantastic Moussaka, a Souvlaki Platter, the tasty Traditional Gyro (which we brought home as take-out for our stay at home daughter), the yummy Village Salad and don't forget the Baklava!  All at reasonable prices.

The owners say that many of their recipes are from an uncle who lives in Greece.  We are really glad that those who make the delicious breakfast food at the Waffle Shop decided to give dinner at try at The Greek.

PIZZA!

While walking into Cartridge World in the Northland Shopping Center for new printer ink, since I used all of our ink printing out Martha Stewart Thanksgiving recipes a couple of weeks ago, I had a thought for dinner---get pizza dough at Brothers Pizza and make a veggie pizza tonight!  It was a new thought, since usually we only make pizza in the summer on our grill.  But a veggie pizza sounded very good at the moment and very easy too.  Since I had been wrestling with Christmas decorations all day while trying to clean out my basement, easy was key!

Did you know that Brothers sells great pizza dough?  This is something I stumbled on to a few years ago, I can't remember how.  Just go in, ask for a ball of dough, pay $1.50 plus tax and walk out with an amazing glob of wonder.

WHITE VEGGIE PIZZA

 Let the dough rise in your kitchen for awhile (it comes cold, out of their refrigerator), then roll it out.  If you have one, put a pizza stone in the oven to warm up at 450 degrees.

Slice mushrooms, peppers, onions and saute them in about 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil for no longer than 5 minutes on medium heat.

Drizzle olive oil on the pizza dough (this is a "white" pizza).  Top with the sauteed veggies.  Put in the oven for 15 minutes.

Slice tomatoes and wash baby spinach.  Dry spinach.  Grate mozzarella cheese, as much or little as you want.

At the 15 minute mark, top the pizza with the cheese.

Let the pizza continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes.  If the crust has started to brown and the cheese is bubbling, turn off the oven and top the pizza with the tomatoes and spinach.  Let it stand in the oven about 5 more minutes.

Serve with a lettuce salad and you have dinner!  And much better than delivery pizza!

The State High Cookie Challenge

 

My youngest daughter came home from school last week with a surprising challenge.  The classmates that she spends her lunch period with were oohhing and awhhhing over the cookies I had put in her lunch that day.  My daughter replied that these cookies were CHRISTMAS CRINKLES and we only made them during the Christmas holiday season. 

As they discussed their favorite Christmas cookies, a challenged ensued.  Each would make their favorite cookie and bring it to lunch on their assigned day from today until the holiday break.  On the last day of school, Dec. 21, judgment would be made as to who had the BEST cookie.  Who knew that high school kids could be such foodies!!

Today, the Crinkles will enter the competition.  They are a favorite of our family and their gooey chocolaty goodness will surely win any contest!

Let the games begin............

CHRISTMAS CRINKLE COOKIES

2 cups flour          2 teaspoons baking powder

Combine and mix in a bowl, set aside.

3 beaten eggs          1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil           2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix these together in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon.

In a microwavable bowl, melt 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate (I use Bakers), 

--if you have a "melt chocolate" button on your microwave, use it.  If not, melt the chocolate on a meduy heat.  When melted, take the chocolate out of the microwave and let cool a few minutes.  Then add to egg mixture and stir well.  Gradually add the flour mixture.  Mix well until combined.  This will be a thick dough.  Cover and chill about 1 to 2 hours.

Shape dough into 1 inch (or walnut size) balls.  Roll well in powdered sugar.

 

Place 1 inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 miniutes or until the tops of the cookies "crack."  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Makes about 48 cookies.

Happy Baking!

Oh, and when I said I was blogging every day, I forgot that Sunday is a day of REST.   

Thanks for reading my blog!

I love Wegmans!

Today is biggie sample day at Wegmans, featuring recipes from their Holiday Menu Magazine.  Get there--everything is yummy and very appropriate for the holidays.  My two favorite samples were the Roasted Vegetables with Wilted Spinach, and the Nut and Mushroom Pate.

The Roasted Vegetable with Wilted Spinach is not really a specific recipe but the link show ways to roasted your choice of veggies.  The trick to this not mentioned is to take the veggies out of the oven when done, then add washed and dried baby spinach leaves, toss with hot veggies to wilt the spinach before serving--DELICIOUS.

The other recipe, Nut and Mushroom Pate was something that did not look too appetizing (hey, it IS mushroom color) but was surprisingly good.  It is a recipe for vegans, but I am going to make this for my family during the holidays, and they will never know that there is tofu in it!

Run to Wegmans--the best grocery store in State College!

Got Turkey......

....still ?

...yes, it is one week and one day after Thanksgiving, but since there was leftover turkey, I had to make this wonderful pie. It's almost a tradition, except everyone forgets about it from year to year. After days of looking in the fridge and no longer thinking that turkey sandwiches are exciting, I pull out this recipe, and the family says, “oh yeah, I forgot about this pie. We need to make this every time we have turkey leftovers! I love this!” You will too.

TURKEY BROCCOLI PIE

1 unbaked pie shell

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon thyme

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (13 ounces) evaporated milk

2 cups cubed turkey, cooked

2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (or a 10 ounce package frozen), cooked al dente

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Blend flour, salt, pepper, thyme into mixture. Continue cooking over low heat, and gradually stir in the chicken stock for a smooth consistency.  Slowly add the milk and stir well until it boils gently. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the broccoli and turkey. Pour into the pie shell 

Bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. If the edges of the pie shell brown too quickly, cover with strips of foil. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

You will notice that this pie does not have a crust.  I was in a hurry and decided to not to thaw and roll out the pie crust that is in my freezer.  The recipe works fine without it, although the hubby said that he wished I had used it.

This pie is a pleaser, especially because the turkey is from The Penn State Poultry Science Club.

Every year, the Monday before Thanksgiving, the club sells fresh PSU raised turkeys.  They are the freshest turkeys you can buy here in Central PA.  They are also popular, so you need to be at the Poultry Education and Research Center located at the end of N. University Drive by noon the day the sale starts.  They go fast.  

Mark you calendars for next year.  That would be Monday, November 19, 2012

Happy December!

WHAT A GREAT MONTH TO COOK!  Your family appreciates traditional meals and goodies, your neighbors and friends love to receive homemade food gifts.  I made it a point years ago to make some traditional favorites each year, and now, if I even think to serve something new in place of, for example, our traditional Overnight French Toast for Christmas morning, the troops cry out "NOOO!"  This secretly makes me very happy.


Today I want to share with you our favorite appetizer that is always requested by my family and friends.  It is easy, delicious and not on a dieter's menu -- the reason we ONLY make it during December (OK, we also made it on Thanksgiving day).  I don't remember where I got this recipe, but it is a winner, and you can see I have used it a lot!

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

Mix these together until smooth.  Then add:

1 can artichoke hearts (canned in WATER), drained and squeeze the water out of each 'choke, then dice

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Pour into a greased dish, I use a 24 ounce round Corningware baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  You want the dip to bubble and be a bit browned before you take it out of the oven.  Let stand for just a few minutes, then serve with water crackers.

If you don't like artichokes, you can still love this dip.  When my daughter Rebecca was young, she asked "can you please make artichoke dip WITHOUT those artichokes?"  She would pick around them for the gooey goodness.  I decided just to dice the artichokes smaller!  No more complaints.  What is Artichoke Dip without the artichokes?

Pie Time

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!

I meant to post last Thursday with ideas that would help for Thanksgiving day.
But then, life happens....visitors, teaching, preparation for a trip, illness (do colds ever go away when you cannot lie in bed for days??).

But here we are, the day before Thanksgiving.  Hopefully you are beginning preparations today, so you are not a slave all day tomorrow.  Here are some great ideas for dishes with 5 ingredients or less from one of my favorite foodie sites, Food 52.

Are you shopping today for tomorrow's feast?  Is Mrs. Smith's Apple Pie on your grocery list?  STOP!   YOU CAN MAKE PIE!  Be not afraid!  Here is my Foolproof Pie Crust recipe that anyone can make successfully, with a recipe for tried and true apple pie from  the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.  May you count an abundance of blessings this year!

FOOLPROOF PIE CRUST

4 cups flour 

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 ¾ cups CRISCO shortening

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; mix together with a fork.  Add the shortening to the flour mixture, and mix all together with a pastry cutter (or two knives); cut well until the shortening is in small pieces.  Set aside.

In a small bowl mix well:

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 egg

½ cup water

Combine the egg mixture to the flour mixture with a fork until all is moistened (you may need to use your hands for this).  Mold the dough into a ball, place into the same bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a least ½ hour (or until it is easy to roll out).

When the dough is firm, cut the large ball into 4 equal pieces.  Roll those into balls.  You now have 4 rolls of pie dough, enough for 4 single crust pies (pumpkin, chocolate cream, etc.) or 2 double crust pies (apple, blueberry, peach, etc.)

This dough can be left in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or it can be frozen for several months. 

Apple Pie
from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
Basic Pastry for a 9-inch two-crust pie
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
6 large, firm, tart apples
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the pastry dough (for us that was one of the dough rolls).  Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour in a large bowl.  Peel, core, and slice the apples and toss them in the sugar mixture, coating them well (ok, so we did not follow the instructions exactly!).  Pile them into the lined pan and dot with the butter.  Roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie.  Crimp the edges and cut several vents in the top.  Bake 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 - 40 minutes more or until you see bubbling of the pie filling and the crust is browned.

Memories of Halloween

Yes, this is food related!!!  I know that Halloween is now a brief thought from the past, although you moms who have children who went trick or treating are probably seeing candy wrappers in various hiding places throughout your home.

I wanted to show you a picture of my daughter, who made her own costume this year!!!  I am proud of her--she did a great job!   Well done, Cap'n!

Cheering for Chocolate

Yesterday I was shopping at Ollie's Bargain Outlet "Good Stuff Cheap!".  As I took my purchase to the checkout counter, I spied Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate bars on the candy display end cap in front of the counter.  The display is always there, but not with the chocolate bars priced at 0.99 cents!!!  This a real bargain since these chocolate bars retail at local grocery stores for about $2.50 each.  The expiration date on them is 11-30-11 (hence the cheap price, I'm sure) so I bought 3, came home and had a bite of one.  The quality is perfect and I am sure they will last when stored in a cool place until used within a reasonable time period.  I went back and bought more!  They will be made into a Flourless Chocolate Cake during the Christmas holidays, or Chocolate Hazelnut Spread or Pot de Creme  and maybe even given to friends for gifts.  Merry Christmas a few weeks early!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

(from the Food Network)

4 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (which is

2 chocolate bars and part of another--they are 3.5 ounces each)

5 eggs, separated

pinch salt

2/3 cup sugar

powdered sugar, for garnish

unsweetened whipped cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan.

Combine the butter and chocolate and melt in a double boiler over barely simmering water (I don't have a double boiler--I use a small pan inside a larger pan with about 1 inch of water simmering in the large pan).  Whisk together the egg yolks, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons of the sugar.  In a SLOW, steady stream, stir the melted chocolate into the egg yolks until thoroughly combined.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and continue to whip until the egg whites are stiff, but not dry.

Carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Turn out onto a rack immediately.  As the cake cools, the center will sink and crack--do not worry.

Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with unsweetened whipped cream.

Feeding a Crowd

Tonight I needed a lot of food to feed a crowd.  Good thing I remembered a recipe from a cookbook I got as a wedding gift 25 years ago.  It takes some time to make, but it will serve many people, and, like me, you might have leftovers for another day.  Best of all, everyone loves it!

Chicken, Sausage and Wild Rice

(from Virginia Seasons:  New Recipes from the Old Dominion)

1 pound pork sausage

1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I used Cremini)

1 large onion, chopped

4 to 5 chicken breasts, cooked, boned, and cut up in bite-size pieces

1 6-ounce box Uncle Ben's Wild and Long Grain Rice 

OR

6 ounces long grain rice prepared with 12 ounces water

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

pinch each of oregano, thyme and marjoram

Saute sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven; drain and set aside.  In the same skillet coated with the fat from the sausage, saute mushrooms and onions until limp; add sausage and chicken and set aside.  Cook wild rice according to package directions.  Mix flour with heavy cream in a medium saucepan until smooth; add chicken broth and cook until thickened.  Add seasonings and combine with rice, sausage, chicken, and vegetables.  Put in a greased carrerole dish and bake 30 to 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Serves 10 to 12.  You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it.

Oh, Nuts!

Another article about the rising price of nuts.  In today's Centre Daily Times, there is an article about the rising prices of pecans--just in time for Thanksgiving!  In a class I taught last week, as well as the post from November 3, the recipe for spinach orange salad included pecans.  Of course, you can substitute any nut you like in that salad--almonds would be great.  Especially roasted (if you can't tell by now, I LOVE roasted nuts)!

Maybe there will not be a pecan pie for Thanksgiving this year, or maybe you will want to splurge.  The best price I found in the area last week was at Walmart, where the price per pound for pecans was $8.98 (these were bagged pecans). With many nuts priced higher, it makes me wish that I had stocked my freezer full of bags of nuts several months ago!

What's going on at the grocery store?

A printed article mentioned on the radio yesterday caught my attention and I just had to look it up on the web.  It certainly confirms what I see while shopping:  price increases!  What a change--a rise of 0.8% from 2009-2010 increased to 3.5% to 4.5% for this year.  That may be, but I have seen many items increase as much as 20%!

In another article, the news was also bleak for all you peanut butter lovers (according to the article, 90% of American households have a jar of peanut butter in their kitchen).  The article states that “intense heat and drought that hit the southern U.S. this year, as well as high prices for other crops led farmers to focus their efforts elsewhere" are the cause for the rising prices.

Well, we can't do much about the peanut butter crisis except to stop buying it. And, despite the price increases, we all have to buy food.  The good news is that you can make healthy meals for you and your family economically!  Try this for a yummy salad, now that summer tomatoes are history.....

Spinach Orange Salad
Wash and sort fresh spinach (I like the baby spinach, and if you buy it in a grocery store that has it loose and priced by the pound, it is MUCH cheaper.  I buy it at Wegman's)
Toss with mandarin orange slices or fresh orange slices when cheaper in season (Dec-Feb), feta cheese (buy it in a block, it's cheaper), and roasted pecan halves (see my roasting nuts tip below on the post 10/3).  Dressing:  mix 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sugar or honey (or less if you like), 3 Tbl. cider vinegar and 1-2 tsp. fajita seasoning.  You can make this salad a meal by adding cooked chicken strips in the spinach mixture.  YUM!

Soup is the answer!

Our son brought 6 friends home last weekend---a respite from the Washington, DC internships they are involved in.  They hoped for rest, relaxation and some home cooking!  I was happy to oblige.  One of our visitors eats meat sparingly, so, on a blustery fall day, having a large cauliflower in my fridge, I made Cream of Cauliflower Soup.  This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, who served it the first weekend I went to my husband's childhood home to "meet the parents" when we were dating many years ago.  While stirring, I realized that I was making this soup close to what would have been her 81st birthday.  So, this delicious soup will feed the hungry who might just be vegetarians, and for me, honors a wonderful woman of many talents.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth (I used the equivalent of Better than Broth dissolved in water)
2 medium carrots
1 medium cauliflower
1 cup half and half (I used 2% milk to save calories)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper
sour cream
In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, melt the butter, add onion and saute until limp (5-10 minutes).  Pour the broth into the pan and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, uct carrots in 1/4 inch slices and cauliflower into flowerets.  Add veggies to broth.  Reduce heat, simmer until very tender (about 20 minutes).  Pour small amount at a time into blender.  Return puree to pan.  Add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.  Heat to simmering.  It it is very thick, add more milk to thin to your liking.   Serve with a dollop of sour cream.  4-6 servings

Good things come to those who wait.....

...through rain and wind and all the awful weather of this fall.  Yesterday, in our raspberry patch, I found large, sweet berries.  Many times in the last couple of weeks I have only found wilted, moldy raspberries.  But our recent sunny, dry weather has ripened the last of the berries for the season--the taste of summer in October, to be savored and remembered until next year!

I love this breakfast:  Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt, roasted almonds, raspberries and a drizzle of honey.  Nothing is better to get you going in the morning.  Remember, don't buy roasted almonds, do it yourself:  spread several cups of whole almonds on a baking sheet, place in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, let cool.  Use a handful for breakfast, freeze the rest for future use.