The fabulous holiday food is only one reason that Christmas is my favorite special occaision- but it's a big one. The cookies are a delicious bit of the holiday spirit. This year, they are my contribution to a cookie exchange with friends. We each bring 4 dozen cookies, and we each walk away with 4 dozen (different) cookies, several recipes and some good times.
makes 4 dozen cookies
you can freeze the dough portion or the baked cookies (I love cookies I can mix the dough ahead and freeze)
Ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 c oats (not instant)
1 c dried cranberries
6 ozs white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I've liked Ghiradelli)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl, set aside.
Cream butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, stir with a rubber scraper or wooden spoon until completely blended.
Fold the oats, cranberries and white chocolate into the dough until evenly distributed.
Drop dough in 3 tbsp mounds onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 in apart
Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden but still a little moist. Let Cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
For a more decorative cookie, dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
30 minute Chicken Corn Chowder
Chicken Corn Chowder
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 med onion, chopped
2 celery, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 c chicken or vegetable stock
3 c milk
2 cooked chicken breast halves, chopped
1 can cream style corn
2 red potatoes, diced
1 1/2 c frozen corn
1/4 tsp thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)
about 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Melt butter in a large Dutch Oven or stock pot over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery, and jalapeno and cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
- Add flour, cooking 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add chicken stock to deglaze pan, stirring up any bits of flour stuck to the bottom.
- Stir in milk and remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, cook until thick (about 5 minutes).
**the creamed corn isn't necessary. If I don't have it in the pantry, I just add a little more corn and maybe some cornstarch in the stock if I want it thicker. This chowder has a little bit of a bite from the jalapeno. If you don't have a fresh pepper, you can also used canned green chilies (I used these last night). This soup does require a good bit of salt to really taste fresh and "bright".
I've served this soup when I had friends over for lunch and topped it with a couple tortilla chips and a little sharp cheddar cheese. For a more decorative serving, I'd make multi-colored tortilla strips to garnish. This Chicken Corn Chowder is incredibly filling and satisfying for such a quick meal, taking me about 30 minutes from start to finish. Less if I use onion and celery that I've already chopped and thrown in the freezer.
Spaghetti and Crockpot Meatballs
Yesterday, I had the little monkey's 4 month well baby check (read: shots!) so I knew that dinner would have to be either made ahead or very quick as I would have one fussy young'un by dinnertime. I ended up deciding on a combination of make ahead and quick. Spaghetti is a favorite around here, although we've had to compromise a bit on sauce. The husband likes a plain meat sauce. I like a more seasoned roasted tomato sauce without meat. Our compromise is meat balls :)
CrockPot Meatballs
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef (I prefer sirloin)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c fresh bread crumbs
2 cloves finely diced garlic
1/2 med onion, chopped
3-4 sundried tomatoes, very finely chopped
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 c prepared tomato sauce/marinara
Onion powder*
Garlic powder*
Oregano*
Salt and Pepper*
Garlic Olive Oil
* to taste
Method
I served these over spaghetti, making for a quick dinner I could do in the brief moments little man would let me set him down.
CrockPot Meatballs
Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef (I prefer sirloin)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c fresh bread crumbs
2 cloves finely diced garlic
1/2 med onion, chopped
3-4 sundried tomatoes, very finely chopped
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 c prepared tomato sauce/marinara
Onion powder*
Garlic powder*
Oregano*
Salt and Pepper*
Garlic Olive Oil
* to taste
Method
- Combine ground beef, beaten egg, bread crums, sun-dried tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. I use my hands for this part. It takes less pounding to get everything combined, keeping the meat more tender.
- Form ground beef into large balls, I try for slightly larger than golf balls. The large size helps keep the meatballs from becoming dry.
- Brown meatballs in a hot pan.
- Once meatballs are mostly brown, add a tbsp or 2 of garlic olive oil, onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
- Place meatballs in slow cooker and add olive oil, onion and garlic.
- Cover meatballs with diced tomatoes and prepared marinara. Season as needed.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
I served these over spaghetti, making for a quick dinner I could do in the brief moments little man would let me set him down.
Labels:
army wife,
cooking,
family dining,
household management,
meal planning,
menu,
recipe
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sicilian Chicken
I saw a really interesting looking seasoning blend in a specialty market a few months ago, but it was quite pricey. So I wrote down the ingredients and put it together myself. I've found it to be versatile and useful, especially with chicken and pasta dishes.
Sicilian Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, naked
2 c Cheese (of choice)
1 c diced tomatoes, drained
Salt
Pepper
Sicilian Blend
1 box Pasta of choice
Method
I modified this recipe to use up some leftovers and to use in the slow cooker. I substituted about 1 cup of left over queso for the cheese. I layered frozen chicken breasts, the tomatoes, and the queso dip in the slow cooker. This I seasoned with salt, pepper, and the Sicilian Blend. I set this on Low and let it cook for about four hours, stirring in cooked pasta at serving time.
Yum.
Sicilian Blend
***Combine equal parts garlic, onion powder, oregano and basil.
Sicilian Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, naked
2 c Cheese (of choice)
1 c diced tomatoes, drained
Salt
Pepper
Sicilian Blend
1 box Pasta of choice
Method
- chop and brown chicken breasts, lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and Sicilian Blend
- Prepare Pasta al dente
- In a greased casserole dish, combine cooked chicken, pasta, tomatoes, 1 tsp Sicilian Blend and cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake at 375 for approx 20 minutes or until bubbling.
I modified this recipe to use up some leftovers and to use in the slow cooker. I substituted about 1 cup of left over queso for the cheese. I layered frozen chicken breasts, the tomatoes, and the queso dip in the slow cooker. This I seasoned with salt, pepper, and the Sicilian Blend. I set this on Low and let it cook for about four hours, stirring in cooked pasta at serving time.
Yum.
Sicilian Blend
***Combine equal parts garlic, onion powder, oregano and basil.
Labels:
army wife,
cooking,
family dining,
household management,
meal planning,
menu,
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Sunday, December 6, 2009
New Twist with Cream of Wheat
Cream of Wheat is a childhood favorite. We ate it sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, always risking a burned mouth from not waiting until it cooled. I wanted something warm for lunch today and pulled out the box (which has a permanent place in my pantry) and noticed a suggestion on the side to mix in Polaner All Fruit Spread. Since I happened to have some, I gave it a try.
Yuuuummmmm....new favorite. I also stirred in some natural sliced almonds to add some protein.
Yuuuummmmm....new favorite. I also stirred in some natural sliced almonds to add some protein.
Labels:
army wife,
cooking,
family dining,
meal planning,
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Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
Kevin loooves Split Pea Soup. I prefer a chicken version I adapted from a clean eating cookbook. Since I had a ham bone and leftover cooked ham in the freezer, he's getting his version- perfect for the frosty weather we're having. I enjoy having soups on the weekends when we're usually working on things around the house or outside or running errands. Makes for a stressfree dinner whenever we happen to get hungry.
Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
1 package (16 oz) dried split peas
2 c diced fully cooked ham
1 c diced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 c boiling water
1 c hot milk
Method
How easy is that! Since I had the ham bone, I threw that in too :-)
Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
1 package (16 oz) dried split peas
2 c diced fully cooked ham
1 c diced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 c boiling water
1 c hot milk
Method
- In a 5 qt slow cooker, layer the first nine ingredients in order listed (without stirring).
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender.
- Stir in milk.
- Discard bay leaves before serving.
How easy is that! Since I had the ham bone, I threw that in too :-)
Labels:
army wife,
cooking,
family dining,
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Whirl of Holiday Projects
Between traveling for thanksgiving and cramming holiday projects before traveling for Christmas, I've maintained a mile long to do list. :) This one time of year that generally enjoy my to do's.
Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. Going to a Catholic school as a kid, Advent and Christmas meant gorgeous decorations, my favorite church music and a ton of great food.
This week I made sure to change my table over to more season appropriate colors :)
Santa Mozart even got into the holiday action, although a bit reluctantly:
When I need a break from the holiday swirl, I'm working on planning our 2010 garden calendar. Our veggies were pretty successful in 09, despite the moving and a late start so I'm excited about this year's plan!
Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. Going to a Catholic school as a kid, Advent and Christmas meant gorgeous decorations, my favorite church music and a ton of great food.
This week I made sure to change my table over to more season appropriate colors :)
Santa Mozart even got into the holiday action, although a bit reluctantly:
When I need a break from the holiday swirl, I'm working on planning our 2010 garden calendar. Our veggies were pretty successful in 09, despite the moving and a late start so I'm excited about this year's plan!
Labels:
army wife,
cooking,
family dining,
household management,
meal planning,
menu,
recipe
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