Hint O'Mint Cookies

These are some great little cookies. The recipe has a few unusual things, so I thought that I was sure to make some major mistake and totally screw them up, but they're tougher than my mistake-prone-ness. Kind of fun to make.

Hint O'Mint Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting: (knowing how I like frosting, I doubled this, and it was just enough)

3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar (do this gently...and try to make sure the bottom of the glass is as covered with sugar as it can be, or else it will stick). Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, cocoa, salt, vanilla, and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cookies.

Southwest Tortilla Pizza

(Rommel's is the one with bell peppers and onions, mine is straight cheese, baby!)

It really does smell and taste a little like pizza with southwestern flavors rather than a burrito. I don't know how that happens. I liked it. You can choose your level of spiciness by the salsa you choose.

Southwest Tortilla Pizza

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp. chili powder

8 flour tortillas (6 in.)

3/4 cup salsa

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Place four tortillas on an ungreased baking sheet; spread with bean mixture to within 1/2 in. of the edges. Top with remaining tortillas. Spoon salsa over tops. Sprinkle with pepper, onion and cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

White Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies

Okay, this recipe looked so bizarre I just had to try it. It has chopped up marachino cherries inside it! I thought they'd taste weird, but they actually kind of crystallize while baking. It came out better than I expected.

White Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (16 oz.) vanilla or white chocolate chips

1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained and chopped (I chopped them into fourths)

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in almond extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chips and cherries.

2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

Here's a recipe that's actually for two casseroles. You make one right away and freeze the other one for up to three months. Or I guess you could make them both at once if you're having a big group over.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

2 pkg. (6 oz. each) reduced-sodium stuffing mix (I didn't use reduced-sodium, just normal)

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup milk

8 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 lb. sliced deli ham, cut into 1-in strips

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese

3 cups (12 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Prepare stuffing mixes according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine soup and milk; set aside. Divide chicken between two greased 13x9-in baking dishes. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, Swiss cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, soup mixture and stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.

2. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Vegetable Beef Skillet

I'm so far behind on posting recipes...sorry! Here's another one of the one pan wonders, and it came out pretty good. I might add a little more cheese next time. It also says that you can toss in any extra vegetables around the house, which is nice. I don't like onions, so I was worried I'd be able to taste them, but you can't.

Vegetable Beef Skillet

Prep/Total time: 30 minutes

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups frozen broccoli-cauliflower blend, thawed and chopped

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted

3/4 cup water

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup uncooked instant rice

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir in the vegetables, soup, water, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Beef Taco Skillet

I made this the other night, and it was pretty good. The best part about it was that I had all the ingredients just lying around the house, plus it's a one pan wonder.

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) Campbell's Tomato Soup

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas (6") cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook beef in 10" skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.

2. Stir in soup, salsa, water, and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for five minutes. Stir. Top with cheddar. Makes 4 servings.

I didn't notice the part about 6 inch tortillas, and mine were much bigger. As a result, I ended up doubling the soup, salsa, and water, otherwise it wouldn't boil. Even so, I didn't like the tortillas much, they got too soggy. I think next time I might try it with corn tortillas. The flavor was really good, though, and it was so easy (no chopping, yay!).

Strawberry Jam Bars

This is the dessert I made when Derek and Irene came over. It came out pretty good, though a little sweeter than I would like. Kids would love this, and it's not difficult at all. The only thing that could have gone better is the corn flakes. They should be finely crushed, not just kind of crushed and mixed in...the whole pieces really harden when baking and become tough.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix

1 cup finely crushed cornflakes

1 cup strawberry jam

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg; mix well. Gradually add dry cake mix and cornflakes. Set aside 1-1/2 cups for topping. Press remaining dough into a greased 13 x 9 in. baking pan.

Carefully spread jam over crust. Sprinkle with reserved dough; gently press down. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Shrimp Jambalaya

This is a Cajun dish that I made when Irene and Derek came over. I thought it turned out pretty well, just a little spicy. On the other hand, it is Cajun, and when you eat it with rice it's not too bad. It's also a slow-cooker recipe, so you chop everything up, toss it in, and forget about it for seven hours.

Ingredients:

12 oz. boneless, skinless, chicken breast

8 oz. smoked sausage of your choice

8 oz. smoked ham, diced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 14-1/2 oz. can whole tomatoes

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1-1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1-1/2 tsp prepared hot sauce

1-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

1 lb. fresh shrimp, shelled and cleaned

4 cups cooked rice

Cut the chicekn into bite-sized pieces. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the shrimp and rice to the slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Add the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Pour the Shrimp Jambalaya over the rice when ready to serve.

My changes: I didn't use fresh shrimp, because I wasn't sure if it would cook correctly or if I would know or whatever. I just used frozen, fully cooked shrimp, and it came out fine. I cooked it on Low for 8 hours. I don't recommend cooking on High unless it's an emergency and you don't have a choice. Generally, cooking on Low works better for slow cooker recipes. I also might increase the amount of rice, we ran out of it towards the end. As I mentioned before, if I make it again, I might decrease the amount of cayenne pepper and hot sauce.

Sweet Crepes

Okay, I know this is a pretty basic one, but I thought I'd share it anyway in case someone doesn't have the recipe. This comes straight out of the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook.

Combine in bowl and mix until smooth:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup lukewarm water

4 large eggs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Now, making the crepes is the tricky part, so I'll give you their instructions mixed in with some of mine.

Place pan (either small skillet or crepe pan, like the one I have) over medium heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of butter. The temperature is right when the butter begins to color, but not smoke. (I, on the other hand, just used Pam and waited for a few minutes.) Lift the pan off the heat, and using a ladle or small measuring cup, slowly pour in enough batter to cover the entire bottom with a very thin coating.

I tend to make pretty thick crepes, because they're easier to turn. If you really love paper-thin crepes and plan on making them often, it's probably a good idea to get a crepe maker, which is by far the easiest way to make crepes, and you get to skip the rest of this recipe.

For the rest of us, this is how I try to flip the crepes: I slide a knife under the edge, and lift it up enough to get the spatula underneath, then use the spatula to hold it up to get the knife further underneath and so on and so forth until enough of the crepe is up that I can flip it. It doesn't always work and it takes a lot of practice.

Place finished crepes on a wax paper-covered plate. To serve, you can add melted chocolate chips, peanut butter and jelly, Nutella, syrup, caramel sauce, or my personal favorite, granulated sugar and lemon juice. Then roll them up or fold them into quarters and enjoy!