Chocolate Jubilee Cookies

Have you ever noticed that when you use the same cookie recipe that your mother uses, the cookies never turn out quite the same?  Quite frankly, mine don’t.  It’s SO frustrating!  I have the same recipe I use all the time and darn it if it doesn’t turn out differently 8 out of 10 times!

I’ve been trying to figure out why, and tonight I came across Ashley & Sierra’s post over at The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.

1.  This cookie is done just right. It is pictured to compare with the rest.
2.  This dough was not refrigerated.  It is still good but a little flatter than it should be.
3.  This dough contained too much flour and did not spread much at all. It is interesting to note that the dough looked identical to the correct dough, but was much stiffer and drier.
4.  This dough had too little flour.  It spread too much and didn’t bake evenly.

…more

Photo: theperfectchocolatechipcookie.com

WOW!  I MUST get to know these girls!  They have done the research for me and not only that, they’ve included pictures of each senario so that I can compare mine to theirs!  THANK YOU LADIES!!!

Well, I’m certainly not going to keep this precious information from you!  So, get your pens or ipads ready and take notes…this is absolutely beautiful!

Read the full article over at The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Bacon Candy, or Pig Candy is a very simple recipe.  It’s pretty hard to make a mistake with this one.  Just be sure to keep an eye on it in the oven so you don’t overcook it.

Ingredients:

• Bacon (several strips)
• Dark Brown Sugar (enough to coat strips of bacon)

Directions:

1. Coat uncooked bacon in some dark brown sugar.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

This cocktail is the perfect drink for any holiday party or even a casual dinner party. One of the best things about this frozen mixed drink is that you can use any kind of whiskey or burbon you’d like. It is, however, recommended to use high-end whiskey. The cheap stuff will just not have the rich flavor you’ll find when you use a higher end drink.

Be sure to plan ahead with this drink. You’ll need about five hours of freezer time to get the best results, so don’t wait till the last minute.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think or if you’ve made some changes to the recipe. We want to hear from you!

Ingredients:

• Whiskey (High end, like Crown Royal) – 2 cups
• Cranberry Juice – 6 cups
• Pomegranate juice – 4 1/2 cups
• Orange Juice – 2 cups
• Juice of 2 limes
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Fresh Cranberries, diced – 1 cup
• Mint Leaves, or orange slice for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the whiskey, 3 cups of the cranberry juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, lime juice, sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a large, shallow, freezer safe container.
2. Stir well, then cover and freeze until the mixture is slushy, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes.
3. All in all it should take 4 to 5 hours to freeze.

Scrape the frozen mixture out and divide them among the glasses, don’t fill more than 3/4 of the way.  Fill with the rest of the way with the left over cranberry juice, and top with the diced cranberries.  Stir and garnish.  Then sit down before you taste it, your knees will buckle.

In this episode of The Totally Awesome Food Show, Bobby and I show you how to make bread pudding, “Jack Daniel’s style”. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe, but let me warn you, this is NOT for the faint of heart!  This recipe serves 15-20 people…so you can adjust it to serve however many you want.  Double it for more people, or cut it in half for fewer!

Ingredients:

• 4 lb Bread (coarsely torn or chopped), we used Italian and French bread because it’s a hearty bread
• 1 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2 1/4 cups Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 lb Butter (real butter…NOT margarine, melted)
• 20 Eggs, slightly beaten (trust me, it’s harder to stir them when you add the milks)
• 1 qt Half-and-Half (cream)
• 1 qt Heavy Whipping cream
• 1/8 cup Vanilla extract, (use a good vanilla)
• 1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
• 15 1/2 oz Raisins

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 325°. Cut bread into squares or tear into rustic size pieces. Place on wax paper on the counter and allow to dry during the remaining processing.
2. In a very large container, combine brown sugar, ground cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. With a soft spatula, mix well until large lumps and dry seasonings are blended.
3. Add slightly beaten eggs, melted butter, half & half, heavy whip cream, vanilla and Jack Daniel’s. Using a wire wisk, mix well until all sugars, eggs and liquids are well blended.
4. Add cubed bread to wet mixture. Using a soft spatula, gently mix bread cubes into the mixture. Half way through this process, add the raisins.
5. Spray 4 inch deep full size baking dish (or hotel pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Pour bread mixture into coated pan. Use a soft spatula to remove all ingredients from the container. Do NOT pat to level mixture. Rock pan back and forth to even mixture in the pan. The surface should remain jagged.  Remember this is a rustic dish!
6. Place immediately into the pre-heated 325° oven. Set a timer for 40 minutes. Reset for an additional 5 minutes if needed. Pudding is ready when a toothpick can be stuck in and pulled out of the middle of the pudding clean and moist.
7. Do not overcook the pudding or it will be dry.

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

Made famous by The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, the Hot Brown Sandwich is an example of simplicity and culinary excellence. Is that too gushy? It may be but once you’ve tasted it, you’ll know what I mean.

This dish is a unique way to take that “carving board” turkey left over from your big turkey dinner and repurpose it in a not-often-thought-of way. When most folks are making a standard, deli-style turkey sandwich, you can serve up a tremendous, hearty, open-faced wonder that will have your guests or your family, or, c’mon, admit it, YOU, salivating ten minutes before that first bite.

And it’s loaded with bacon! What else can I say? Bacon makes everything better as Kat and Cali Lewis found out in some of our Bacon episodes.

So, even if it’s not the Holiday’s, give your family and friends a surprise with these amazing Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• Texas Toast – 4 slices
• Turkey, thick sliced – 12-16 ounces
• Bacon – 8 slices
• Butter (Unsalted) – 2 tablespoons
• All purpose flour – 2 tablespoons
• Grated Cheddar (can be mixed white and yellow) – 3/4 cup
• Grated Parmesan – 1/4 to 1/2 cup, to taste
• Salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder – to taste

Directions:

Cheese sauce

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan.
2. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the milk, bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly until thickened.  About 4-5 minutes.
4. Whisk in cheese and cook until melted.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.

The Sandwich

1. Preheat oven to 350 on the broiler setting.
2. Toast bread to desired darkness in toaster.
3. Place bread on baking pan, or stone.
4. Place 2 slices of Turkey on each piece of bread.
5. Ladle cheese sauce over each piece to cover it.
6. Depending on how well you want your bacon, you can put it on now, or wait until the sandwiches come out of the broiler.
7. Put sandwiches into oven and cook until the sauce is a golden color and bubbly.
8. Place 2 slices of bacon on each piece, if you didn’t broil them with the sandwiches.
9. Garnish with tomato slices if you desire, serve open faced and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Turkey
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 24 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Rub turkey with of the olive oil and season hens with salt and pepper
3. Place lemon halves and a few sprigs rosemary inside turkey cavity
   
4. Place in a large, roasting pan, and place garlic cloves around the base of the turkey
   
5. Roast in oven for 25-30 mins
6. After 25 mins:
   
   1. In a mixing bowl, mix wine, chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons of oil; then pour over hens.
7. Continue roasting for 20-25 minutes, or until turkey is golden brown. Juices should run clear.
   
8. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.

To Plate:

1. Pour any cavity juices into roasting pan.
2. Pour juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan
   
3. Boil and reduce to a sauce consistency,
   
4. Cut hens in half along breastbone and arrange on plates.
   
5. Pour garlic sauce around hens.
   
6. Use extra rosemary sprigs to garnish

I originally received this recipe from my friend, Jennifer Smith, who got it from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook (1999). I took it and ran with it…adding a few things of my own to make it even better! This is a GREAT recipe that’s good for breakfast (with milk), snacking, topping for yogurt/ice cream, or whatever else you can think of!!

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups regular oats, uncooked (don’t use the Quick Oats)
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped or halved pecans
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup honey-crunch wheat germ
• 1/4 cup sunflower kernels
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey (local honey is best)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 – 1 teaspoon good vanilla (I use Mexican vanilla)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries (and/or raisins)

Directions:

1. Combine oats, coconut, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, wheat germ and sunflower kernels together and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine honey, water, vegetable oil, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.
3. Pour over oats and nuts and stir until well incorporated.  Do not add dried fruit or candies until the mixture is cool.
4. Pour in a jelly roll pan (15×10 inch) and spread evenly.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
6. Open oven and slide out pan and stir mixture – then respread evenly and continue to bake for 5 minutes or until granola is golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
8. Add dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins, or even banana chips, or any other dried fruits.
9. Eat by itself or with milk for a great cereal. Top your favorite ice cream or vanilla yogurt! YUMMY!!

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This recipe is originated by my friend, Lee Ewing, of Culinary at Home, LLC.  This recipe is easy and SO YUMMY!  Seriously, my family fought over it at Thanksgiving!!

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Raisins
• 1 C. Fresh Cranberries, whole
• 2 C. Fugi Apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tsp. Ginger, minced
• 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon, fresh is best!
• 1/2 tsp. Orange Zest, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 C. Sugar

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a saute pan and simmer on low for 1 hour or until cranberries begin to pop.
2. Pour into bowl and cover with saran wrap.
3. Let completely cool in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

Plating this dish is KEY!!  To plate this scrumptious dinner, you will put the Apple-Cranberry Chutney in the middle of the plate.  Put a few medallions of the pork gently on top of the chutney.  Add a few green beans to the side of the pork making sure they are plated evenly together.  Add the Spaghetti Squash on the opposite side to the green beans and finally, drizzle the sauce around the pork.  Serve your dish with the pork in front of the guest.

I can remember eating this as a child and loved it. I’ve perfected it over the years, used tips from my favorite chefs and experimented on my sweet family way too many times! I think this is the best recipe ever!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups chopped or shredded chicken (I use a Rotisserie Chicken as it has the best flavor)
• 1 Cup Mixed Vegetables
• 2 Hard boiled eggs, sliced or chopped
• 1 Cup Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 1/2 Cups Biscuit Mix
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 stick butter or margarine, melted
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your casserole dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. Layer chicken, vegetables and eggs as you would a lasagna on the bottom of your dish.
3. Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste.
4. Mix soup and chicken stock until smooth and pour on top of chicken/vegetable layers.
5. Mix biscuit mix and milk together and pour on top of soup & chicken mixture.
6. Pour melted butter on top and make sure it covers the biscuit mix really well.
7. Top with shredded cheddar cheese
8. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve piping hot with a fresh salad!

Submitted by:
Katherine M. Curlee

This recipe for Banana Bread is one of the best I’ve eaten. But I have to share a secret…there’s no vanilla or cinnamon in it! I think we ate all the muffins and and half of the loaf of bread the first day we made it! It’s so yummy, you make it a staple in your home for sure!

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup oil
• 1 ½ Cups sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ Cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 Cup buttermilk
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Cream oil and sugar. Add eggs and salt and mix well. Add flour and baking soda combined. Add buttermilk. Add Bananas. Fold in nuts. Grease 2 regular sized loaf pans and divide batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.