EVERYDAY SISTERS

The Easiest Mac and Cheese EVER!

2013-05-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

This is seriously the EASIEST homemade Mac and Cheese recipe I've ever seen and it's actualy good. I made this today when my oldest daughter wanted me to make her my Mac and Cheese but I was out of butter so I couldn't make a rue which is in my favorite recipe that you can find HERE. I was very skeptical that this recipe would actually work bcause you cook the pasta directly in the milk and then just add cheese and stir, what's easier than that? Well I was pleastantly surprised when I made this on a whim and it was actually really delicious. My only suggestions are that you should use a small pasta with ridges in it to help absorb the milk more easily and I would also only serve this right after it's made. It gets super thick as it stands and although it still tastes good it's looses that creaminess that I really like in Mac and Cheese. Try it for yourself and see. You can find the original recipe at Macaroni and Cheesecake. I omitted a few ingredients to make it even easier.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried pasta (something with ridges in it will work best)
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup loosely packed cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.
Turn heat off, add cheese & salt & and stir to combine. Serve immediately. If the mac and cheese is too thick add a little bit of milk and stir until you get your desired consistency.

Spinach and Parmesan Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

2013-05-01T09:05:00.001-04:00

This recipe was created for a catering job that Nanci and I had last summer. I'm not sure why it took me so long to blog it because it's really a fantastic, delicious recipe. It's a new take on the traditional "stuffed" mushroom. I love using portabella mushrooms because it's easy to portion as a side dish, (one mushroom per person) or this would make a great vegetarian dish and in that case two mushrooms per serving would be plenty. A great side dish for a BBQ and I know we are all always looking for something new and different to make than the typical colesloaw and potato salad.

Ingredients:

8 small/med whole portabella mushroom caps

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large bag of fresh spinach

1 cup grated parmesean cheese, divided

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsely, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet and lay each mushroom cap gill side up on the sheet. Lightly oil the bottoms and inside of each mushroom cap and season both sides with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med heat sautee minced garlic in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil for a minute. Add in fresh spinach to hot garlic oil, season with salt and pepper and cook spinach down until it is fully wilted. Transfer spinach into a small bowl and set aside to cool. Once spinach is cooled add in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and stir to combine. In another bowl mix bread crumbs with remanining parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper. Now to assemble the mushrooms; Add about 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture into the gill side of the mushroom cap and then sprinkle with about 1-2 tablespoons of the bread crumb mixture, continue until all filling and bread crumbs are used up. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each mushroom (add an additional sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired) and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Add another sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley before serving, serve hot!

Banana Bread

2013-04-12T07:04:00.000-04:00

An Oldy but a Goody (RE-POST)

This recipe comes from my daughters' nursery school (they are now 15 and 17) and we have been making it ever since. We never have a brunch without it. It is our father's most requested recipe at every family event. When I make it for him I only add walnuts since he doesn't like chocolate. Lately I have been making it with whole wheat flour and it is just as good. It is really easy and comes out great every time.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (3 large)

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use 1/2 cup and I don't notice a difference)

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips or both

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with baking spray. Mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. let cool 10 minutes, then loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. let cool completely before slicing.

Smores Cookies

2013-03-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

If you like Smores you HAVE to try these cookies. They are super delicious and taste just like smores. They have all the right components to the original dessert, graham crackers, marshmallow and chocolate not to mention the added bonus of chewy chocolate chip cookies! YUM YUM YUM! And again in true Everyday Sisters style this recipe is extememely easy and a big crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

18 graham cracker squares

3 cups Refrigerator Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (or you cam make your favorite homeade chocolate chip cookie recipe)

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

9 mini Hershey chocolate bars broken in half (or two squares from a large bar)

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile either bring your refrigerator cookie dough to room temperature or prepare your homemade dough. Once dough is at room temperature mix mini marshamallows into the dough until combined well. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray and lay down the graham cracker squares in a single layer on the prepared sheet. Add a heaping tablespoon (or more) of the cookie dough marshmallow mixture on to each graham cracker square. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookie dough starts to spread and is halfway baked. Pull out cookie sheet and press chocolate squares carefully onto each cookie square and then put back in the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. The cookies may spread together when baking so it's important to remove them off of the pan and onto a wire rack while they are still fairly warm so you can easily lift them. Once the melted marshmallows cool they can really stick and be hard to separate.

"Baked" Sweet and Sour Chicken

2013-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Too Good not to Re-Post!!

Yet another recipe I found while spending way too much time on Pinterest! This is a delicious chicken recipe. I put the BAKED in quotes because even though the chicken does bake in the oven covered in the sweet and sour sauce you do still have to pan fry the cornstarch/egg battered chicken first. My 9 year old daughter loved this the most. I've never seen her eat so much in one sitting. I really loved it too although I did think that the "sour" part of the sweet and sour was very prominent in this dish. Still totally delicious though and I will definitely be making this again soon. I may try to reduce the amount of vinegar by a tablespoon or so to see if that changes the flavor at all. You can find the orginal recipe at the blog Life as a Lofthouse. (*4/30/13) I just recently learned that this recipe was created by Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup white vinegar (I used 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar)

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. In a small bowl using a whisk mix together, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake the chicken in the sauce for one hour turning the chicken every 15 minutes or so. (I forgot this step and it came out perfectly fine).

Challah

2013-01-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

I was always so intimidated by making homemade bread. I decided to tackle it recently and since Challah is my favorite bread I wanted to perfect this type of bread first. I had a lot of fails but finally I found this recipe and this challah tasted just like the fresh challah at the bakery. It was fantastic and I think it looked pretty professional too! The hardest part about making this Challah was the braiding of the dough. OMG I stared at the diagrams posted below forever and re-braided over and over again but still didn't quite get it. I think the end result came out perfectly fine just not perfect.

Ingredients:

1 packet instant yeast
3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed
1/4 cup warm water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 tsp. table salt

For the glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of the flour. Add the warm water, stir, and let this mixture, called a sponge, sit until it starts to puff up, 15-to 20-minutes. Add the eggs, oil, honey, and salt; stir until well combined. The sponge will remain lumpy—this is fine. Add the remaining flour and mix the dough in the bowl until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until fairly smooth, about 2 minutes. The dough should feel very firm and will be hard to knead. If it’s soft and sticky, add more flour until it’s very firm. Transfer the dough to a large, clean container and cover it well. Let it rise until doubled in bulk and very soft to the touch, about 2 hours, depending on the room temperature. Line an insulated baking sheet with parchment or oiled foil. If you don’t have an insulated sheet, stack two sheets together (this keeps the bottom of the bread from overbrowning during baking).

To shape the dough:

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle a little more flour over it. Spread and flatten the dough a bit, but don’t worry about punching it down. Cut it into six equal pieces. Set aside the dough pieces, cover them lightly with plastic, and brush all the flour off the work surface. Have a small bowl of water handy. Using no flour, roll a piece of dough with a rolling pin into a very thin sheet, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick (don’t worry about making a rectangle; an amoeba-type shape is fine). The dough may stick to the work surface; this is all right—just nudge it gently with a dough scraper. Tightly roll up the sheet like a carpet to form a strand. Roll the strand back and forth between your hands until it’s thin, very even, and 12 to 15 inches long. At the ends of the strand, angle the outer edge of your hands into the work surface as you’re rolling to make the ends pointy and the strand thicker in the middle (This will help you get a football-shaped loaf). The strand needs to grip the work surface slightly during this rolling; the “grab” will help as you roll. If the strand is too slick, very lightly dampen it with water to help it grip the work surface better. Repeat the rolling out, rolling up, and elongating steps with the remaining five pieces of dough, rolling them out to the same length. Lightly sprinkle all the strands with flour to prevent them from sticking to one another during proofing. Arrange the strands parallel to one another. At one end, gather and pinch the strands very tightly together. Weight the end with a heavy canister to keep the braid from moving and to leave your hands free, and braid closely, following the illustrations below. Lightly tap each end of the loaf with your palms to tuck it under the loaf.

1. Move the second-to-the-right strand to the far-left position.

2. Move the far-right strand left over two strands, to the center position (spread the strands apart to make room).

3. Move the new second-to-the-left strand over to the far right position.

4. Move the far-left strand (the same strand you moved in step 1) over two strands to the center position. Now repeat the steps.

Transfer the braid to the lined baking sheet and cover it loosely but thoroughly with plastic wrap. Let proof until doubled in bulk and the loaf remains indented when lightly pressed, about 2 hours, depending on room temperature. (If in doubt, let the dough proof more rather than less.)

To bake:

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Just before baking, brush the dough with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, if using. With a thin wooden skewer, poke the bread deeply all over (the holes will prevent air pockets and help the bread keep its shape during baking). Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the challah 180 degrees and bake until the bread is a dark, burnished brown, about another 15 minutes. (If the challah is browning too rapidly cover it loosely with foil and let it finish baking. Don’t remove the loaf too soon, as you’ll risk underbaking.) Let cool thoroughly on a rack.

Peanut Butter Toffee Coffee Cake

2013-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I think the combination of peanut butter and toffee is so delicious so I wanted to incorporate both of the flavors somehow. The obvious thing would be to put them into cookies but I wanted to do something a little different. I've been wanting to make homemade coffee cake for awhile so I thought that it would be a perfect combination and I was really right! This cake is fantastic. The cake is super moist with the perfect flavor combination of peanut butter and toffee. The crumb topping is is thick and super crunchy and crumbly with the same flavor combo of peanut butter and toffee. This cake is seriously dangerous and I have to get it out of my house before I gain 5 lbs just from looking at it. This cake would make a great addition to breakfast or brunch menu or it's a delicious after school snack for the kids.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup milk

1egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup toffee bits, divided (1/2 cup - 1/2 cup)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a round cake pan or a 9x13 inch pan. Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar and butter; mix on low speed with an electric mixer until crumbly. Remove 1/2 cup of crumb mixture and set aside to be used for topping. To one half of the crubm mixtures add milk, baking powder, vanilla, egg, and peanut butter; beat at low speed until well mixed. Add in 1/2 cup of toffee bits and beat until combined. Spread batter evenly in pan. To make the topping: In a small bowl, mix peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup toffee bits, and reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter in pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until it tests done. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.

Caramel Toffee Popcorn

2013-01-02T08:44:00.004-05:00

As one of our New Year's treats for the kids we made homemade caramel popcorn. It definitely takes a little extra effort and time but it's worth it. It came out super delicious. It reminds me more of toffee popcorn rather than caramel. After you make the caramel and toss it with the popcorn you need to take the extra step of baking it in a low temperature oven in order to get the caramel to harden and get crispy once it cools. So worth it, you end up with a not sticky easy to handle buttery toffee caramel corn. A must try! I think this would be amazing if you mix in peanuts into the caramel coated corn before you place it in the oven or even better if you sprinkle toffee pieces onto of the corn right after it comes out of the oven before the caramel sets. The variations are endless!

Ingredients:

2 cup popscorn kernels, unpopped or 3 bags of microwave popcorn
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. fleur de sel (or salt) - I used coarse kosher salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

Pop the kernels by following the directions on the bag. Place the popped corn in to large bowls (leave room for tossing). Preheat the oven to 250° F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter then mix-in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to incorporate all ingredients. Then let boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. Be careful because the caramel mixture will bubble up and become frothy.
Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn in the bowl(s) and toss to coat thoroughly. The caramel is very hot so use tossing tools like long spoons or salad tossers! Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and bake for 40 minutes (remove from the oven to stir every 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheets). After 40 minutes, the popcorn should be completely crispy when cooled. If not return to oven for another 10 minutes. Let the popcorn cool completely before breaking apart. Once cooled you can store in an air tight container for at least a week if it lasts that long.

Molasses Ginger Sandwich Cookies

2012-12-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to use Biscoff Spread inside a cookie for awhile and then I saw this delicious recipe for Molasses Ginger Cookies on Table for Two and I thought it would be the perfect cookie combination and I was so right! These cookies are so super delicious without the biscoff spread but when you add it between two cookies.....WOW!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves (the recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon but I don't really like cloves so I cut it down)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

1 jar of Biscoff Spread (you will probably only need about a cup or so to spread inside each cookie sandwich)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add in the the egg and molasses. Beat until incorporated.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate dough for an hour or so to firm it up and make it easier to handle. Drop about 1/2 teaspoon of cookie dough into a shallow bowl filled with turbinado sugar, cover dough with sugar and then gently roll into a ball and place on lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing baking sheets. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Spread about a teaspoon of Biscoff Spread on the bottom of a cookie and then top with another cookie to create a sandwich. Store in an airtight container

Mini Tomato & Mozzarella Bites

2012-12-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

A super quick appetizer that is colorful and flavorful and will just take minutes to prepare before your guests arrive. You only need a few ingredients to throw this together.

Ingredients:

1 quart grape tomatoes, halved

12 bocconcini (mini fresh mozzarella cheese balls), cut into 3rds

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (roll them up and cut thinly)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Skewer 1 tomato half, 1 piece of cheese and another tomato half onto each toothpick. Place all skewered tomoatoes and cheese into a shallow dish. In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle over skewers. Lastly, sprinkle the tops with basil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediatately or refrigerate up to an hour (I don't like cold tomatoes so I like to serve this immediately after I make it).

Warm Chocolate Brownie Pudding

2012-12-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

This is one of our family's most requested desserts, especially from my niece Rebecca. it is so easy and comes out great every time. We like to serve it with non dairy whipped cream but it would also be great with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa

1/2 lb (2 sticks) nondairy margarine, melted and cooled slightly

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 7 x 11-inch glass baking dish or 2 quart shallow gratin dish. Bring a pot of water to boil for baking the pudding.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until very light colored and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cocoa, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Mix in margarine and vanilla on medium speed until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place it in a shallow roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up sides of brownie pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is crusty and a knife inserted 1/2 inch from the edge comes out almost clean. The center will not test clean. Remove pan from hot water to wire rack to cool slightly . The pudding may be refrigerated, covered, up to 4 days or frozen. To reheat, bring to room temperature and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, or microwave on medium until warm.

Fruit Cake Cookies

2012-11-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

Another great Pinterest find. Nanci actually found these while searching and deciding what type of cookie to make for this year's Cookie Swap with our friends. She decided on another cookie so I decided to make these right away. I have always loved candied cherries in cookies. I think they are terrible on their own right out of the container but baked in a cookie, YUM! This is a great recipe which is very similar to a shortbread cookie but not as crumbly. They are slightly sweet and buttery and the added texture from the candied cherries and pecans is perfect! The original recipe can be found at The Merry Gourmet

*note - it's really important to freeze the cookie dough overnight otherwise the dough will be too soft to slice into perfect neat slices. If you don't care about having a sliced cookie then they taste just as good as drop cookies but I still suggest freezing or refrigerating the dough for at least a few hours so it's easier to handle.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups candied cherries
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Using a handheld mixer, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cream of tartar until well incorporated. Add in flour mixture to butter mixture slowly, blending after each addition until dough forms. Stir in remaining ingredients (candied cherries and pineapples, pecans).Turn dough out onto wax paper and divide into two equal parts. Roll each into a log, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until firm, approximately 1 hour. Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 375 degrees F. Slice each log into 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Nutella Banana Bread (low cal)

2012-10-17T11:02:00.001-04:00

Another yummy treat that Susan made while we were over for lunch recently. Our whole family LOVES banana bread and we often make it lots of different ways in order to find the perfect recipe This one is really great because not only is it moist and delicious and not to mention chocolately but it's also happens to be low calorie and good for you. You can find this recipe and other low calorie recipes at Slender Kitchen

Ingredients:

4 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Nutella

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg whites. Add the banana, vanilla, and apple sauce and mix together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Warm the Nutella up in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until it is softer and melted.
6. Pour the banana bread batter into a bread pan. Then slowly spoon the nutella on top and swirl into the bread using a knife until all of the Nutella has been worked in.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cooked through. Enjoy!

Autumn Chopped Salad

2012-10-08T09:33:00.001-04:00

We are always looking for new salad ideas and this one was so perfect for this time of the year. Absolutely delicious! Susan made this for lunch the other day when we were eating outside in her Sukkah. I LOVED the combination of the sweet and salty. Even my husband who during the entire meal said that he wouldn't eat the salad because it had fruit and nuts in it ended up finishing the salad (eating directly out of the salad bowl, mind you) it was that good. It's a must try! This recipe was found on Pinterest and it took me awhile to find the original source but I'm so glad I did because it's from a fantastic blog Espresso and Cream. Check it out when you get a chance.

*Susan substituted bacon bits for the bacon to keep the salad kosher

Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups of Chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled
4 to 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup Poppy Seed Dressing
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Mix poppy seed dressing with the balsamic vinaigrette. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, Toss and serve immediately!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2012-09-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

So happy I have this picture to remember what these delicious snickerdoodle blondies looked like becuase they were all devoured within 30 minutes of my children coming home from school. To say these were a big hit is an understatement. My family LOVES mostly anything with cinnamon/sugar on it and these blondies have that plus they are soft, moist and chewy with just the right combination of sweet and salty. A true new favorite recipe! Original recipe can be found at Dozen Flours

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter/margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8x8 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cream together softened butter and brown sugar using a hand mixer until blended with and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Mix in baking powder and salt and then add flour slowly until totally incorporated and batter is thick and creamy. Spread batter evenly in greased pan. Next mix together white sugar and cinnmaon and sprinkle evenly on top of the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in the center of blondies comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Honey Butter Blondies

2012-09-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

In keeping with the Honey theme, I made these Honey Butter Blondies using Orange Blossom Honey. This makes the most delicious, light and creamy batter. I could've eaten the batter by the spoonful. These blondies are cakier and not as moist/dense and I wanted but still really delicious. I might try making these again and cutting out a half cup of flour or omitting the baking soda to see if I get the consistency that I wanted. I'll update if I do.

Ingredients:

1 stick Butter (or margarine), softened

1/2 cup Honey

1/4 cup Sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8x8 baking pan generously with non-stick cookng spray. In a large bowl cream together softened butter, honey and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add in baking soda, salt and baking powder and mix to combine. Last add in flour and mix until incorporated and batter is light and fluffy. Spread batter evenly in geased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Honey Cookies

2012-09-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

Rosh Hashana

Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashana is the Jewish New Year. Many recipes for Rosh Hashana contain honey in them because honey symbolizes the "sweetening" of the New Year. It's very traditional to make Honey Cake on this holiday but typically Honey Cake isn't the most exciting dessert especially for the kids. These cookies are such a nice change from the usual honey cake.

Our sister Susan always hosts Rosh Hashana dinner and cooks a fantastic dinner for the whole family. We like to help out and each of us try to make one or two dishes that would contribute to the meal. Susan keeps a kosher home so it's also important that we follow those kosher guidelines. This dessert is the perfect recipe since it uses oil instead of butter as the fat in the recipe which makes these cookies non-dairy (pareve) and can be served after eating a meat meal. Susan found this recipe on Pinterest and was originally posted on Lil' Miss Cakes blog. Please follow the link to view a really nice blog with lots of fantastic recipes. I actually made these as a test recipe and served them at a PTA meeting at my children's school. I LOVE these cookies. They have a distinct honey flavor which is really delicious and the texture from the Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) makes these crunchy on the outside while they are still moist and chewy on the inside. Really a fantastic combination. You can also change the taste of these cookies by using different types of honey as well as different types of oil. I loved this recipe with Wildflower Honey and Olive oil, really unique delicious flavors. Change it up and use the flavors that you prefer. You can easily find Clover, Wildflower and Orange Blossom in your grocery store with Clover being the most common and most mild in taste. I love the slightly bolder and floral taste of the Wildflower Honey.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), for rolling

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the oil, honey, and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla mix until combined. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. If your dough is soft, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until firm. Shape the dough into balls and roll in the turbinado sugar making sure to coat the whole cookie. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 7-9 minutes until the edges are light brown in color.

Eggplant Caponata

2012-08-22T15:39:00.003-04:00

It's rare that someone mentions a type of food or a particular dish and I have never heard of it. This happened to me recently when I was out with a few girlfriends. Someone mentioned Caponata and I had no idea what they were talking about. So the next day I did a litte research and I found a "million" recipes/versions of the Sicilian dish/appetizer Caponata. I couldn't wait to make it and try it for myself. I decided on this particular recipe from No Recipes because the combination of ingredients appealed to me the most out of all the recipes that I read. I really loved the combination of sweet eggplant, smokey roasted peppers, salty capers and tangy balsalmic vinegar. I brought this to the beach for an appetizer last weekend and everyone loved it. I will defintely be making this again.

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 Tbs kosher salt (less if you’re using table salt)
1 red bell pepper quartered, seeds removed
1/4 C olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs drained capers
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 C leaf parsley, stems removed and chopped

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1 Tbs kosher salt. Toss to coat and leave it over a colander for an hour.

Grill red pepper directly on your BBQ or over a flame on your gas stove top until the skin is charred then wrap in foil or put into a brown paper bag and seal. Leave the pepper until cool. Trapping the steam like this makes it much easier to remove the skins. When cool, peel the pepper and remove any excessively charred bits. Slice into thin short strips.

When the eggplant is done salting, rinse in a bowl of cold water to remove excess salt. Squeeze the eggplant with your hands to wring out as much moisture as you can.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions until until they are translucent and just start turning brown around the edges. Add the eggplant, bell peppers and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste stirring until the eggplant is very soft and starts to loose its shape.

Add the balsamic vinegar and capers and stir until there is no liquid left. Take off the heat and add the garlic and parsley. You can serve this immediately with some crusty bread, but it tastes even better the next day.

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie and Banana Parfait

2012-08-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm addicted to that delicious Peanut Butter Mousse from the pie I posted last week. I decided to use it a few different ways this week. I made mini Peanut Butter Mousse Cups for a block party I was attending and then with the leftover I made these decadent Peanut Butter Mousse Pie and Banana Parfaits.

Ingredients:

1 cup smooth Peanut Butter

1-8 oz package Cream Cheese

1-8 oz tub of Cool Whip topping

3/4 cup Confectioners Sugar

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

3-4 Bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch circles

1 cup Hot Fudge topping, heated slightly to spoon easier

Preparation:

Prepare Peanut Butter Mousse by mixing peanut butter, cream cheese and confectioners sugar together in a medium bowl using a hand mixer. Beat until smooth. Fold in 8 oz container of Cool Whip until completely incorporated. Using 4 glasses or dessert dishes layer ingredients in this order; Sliced banana, peanut butter mousse, graham cracker crumbs, hot fudge, sliced banana, peanut butter mousse, hot fudge and sprinkle the top with more graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate parfaits for about 2 hours until the mousse sets. Serve cold.

Egg in a Hole

2012-08-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is one of my kids favorite breakfast recipes. It's fun to make and to eat and of course it's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

4 whole eggs
4 slices of bread (any kind you like)
butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take 4 slices of bread and using a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a round glass cut out a circle from the center of each slice of bread. In a large skillet or on a flat griddle melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter. Place bread slices on to buttered skillet and then crack an egg into the center of each slice of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook on med/hi heat on the first side for a few minutes until the bread becomes golden brown and the bottom of the egg begins to set. Then carefully flip over each egg/bread slice using a large spatula. (I like to re-butter the skillet before cooking the other side. I just lift up the bread slice slightly and slide another small pat of butter under each bread slice and then flip over). Cook on second side for another 3 minutes until egg is set to medium. You want the yolk to be soft and run slightly but not be under cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Copycat "Grilled" Chicken Tenderloins

2012-07-31T05:31:00.000-04:00

I made this for dinner last night! Too good not to re-post!!

I saw this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen and I had to try it for my kids. It looks so easy and delicious. It's a copycat version of a recipe served in Cracker Barrel restaurants called Grilled Chicken Tenders. This name is interesting to me since this chicken isn't grilled at all. Of course "my style" I always want to use ingredients I have on hand so I tweaked the recipe a little bit. I used balsamic vinaigrette dressing instead of Italian dressing and agave instead of honey but the lime I kept the same ;) You can find the original recipe on Mommy's Kitchen here. Please check out her blog, there are a lot of fantastic recipes to try!

Ingredients:

4 - 5 chicken breasts, cut into pieces or 12 chicken tenderloins

1 cup Italian Dressing (I used Balsamic Viniagrette)

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

4 teaspoons honey (I used Agave)

Preparation:

Cut each chicken breast into strips or use tenderloins pieces. If using tenderloins cut and remove the white tendon off each end. In a bowl that has a cover or large Ziploc bag add the dressing, lime juice and honey; mix to combine. Add the chicken and mix to coat all the pieces. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Braise the tenders in a non-stick pan until golden brown in color, but not dry. Start the stove temperature at medium high to get things going. After it comes to a boil reduce the heat to low-medium and continue cooking. You just want them to simmer until all the liquid has cooked down. You still want a bit of glaze left in the pan. When chicken is done remove and serve.

**You pour the chicken with all the marinade into the pan to braise. It will look like you have A LOT of liquid but do not worry, it will cook all the way down. Below are 4 pictures showing the cooking process over a 40 minute period.

When I first put the chicken and marinade in the pan

About 10 minutes into the braising process

About 20 minutes into the braising process

About 40 minutes total cooking time

Homemade Tortilla Chips

2012-07-29T09:50:00.002-04:00

It's is so super easy to make your own tortilla chips and they are so much healthier than store bought because they are baked in the oven, not fried. If you're like me you buy flour tortillas at the store for a recipe and then always have more than half the pack leftover that just sit in the refrigerator until you throw them out. I really hate wasting food so lately I've been taking my leftover flour and corn tortillas and making chips out of them. They are so delicious and I think taste much better than the store bought kind.

Ingredients:

Flour or Corn Tortillas

Non-stick cooking spray

Coarse salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray or use a silpat liner so some other non-stick liner. Cut your tortillas into long 2 inch wide strips. Then take each long strip and cut into triangles. You can make sqauares to if you prefer, they taste the same :) Lay cut tortillas in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet and then spray the tops of the cut tortillas with non-stick cooking spray.

Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and bakc in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the tortillas are light to golden brown. Let cool on sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a large bowl to cool completely. Continue in small batches until you use up all your tortillas. Serve with any dip you like!

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

2012-07-24T10:12:00.002-04:00

This is a super rich, light and creamy no bake dessert. It only has a few ingredients and takes just minutes to put together. If you love peanut butter you will LOVE this dessert, the only problem is waiting for it to chill in the fridge for a couple hours before serving. I suggest leaving some in the bowl to lick while you wait!

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker crust
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
8 oz container Cool Whip
chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Preparation:

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. Fold n cool whip until completely combined. Pour filling into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at leasts 2 hours and up to overnight. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and serve cold.

Rainbow Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

2012-07-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looked so easy and so much fun to make. I did it with my kids one day and they had a blast. It's like a craft project and cooking project rolled into one. You can make this recipe even easier by using a store bought sugar cookie dough which is what I did. Below are step by step picture directions. Have fun!

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie dough

Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple Food coloring

Non-pareil sprinkles

Preparation:

Take your prepared cookie dough and divide into 5 equal parts. Color each part with a different color food dye. You can use any colors that you like (I did the typical "rainbow" colors). Knead the color in until the dough is colored throughout with no white streaks.

Next roll each section of colored dough into long snakes.

Then cut the snakes up into small 1 inch pieces

Next take one piece of each colored dough and gently roll into a ball

Now take each of the colored dough balls and roll into a long snake again

Next wrap each of the long snakes into a spiral shape

Only two more steps! Roll the edges of each sprial in non-pareil sprinkles and lay flat on a baking sheets lined with a silpat or parchment paper.

Bake at 350 F. until baked through but not brown about 10 minutes (watch them carefully)

Broccoli Salad

2012-07-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is an all time favorite salad for summer time. My family has been making this for BBQ's for years and we give out the recipe constantly because it's always a big hit. Because you use raw broccoli this salad really lasts a long time without getting soggy which makes it a great salad to bring to a friend's house, block party or anywhere that it might have to sit out for an extended period of time.

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, stems discarded, florets cut small
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
3 T red wine vinegar
1/2 small red onion, finely minced
1/2 cup raisins
1 package ramen noodles, broken into small pieces,uncooked, discard the seasoning packet
1 cup raw sunflower seeds, not salted or roasted
1 cup raw cashews, not salted or roasted

Preparation:

Place broccoli in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk mayo, sugar, vinegar, and onion
Pour dressing over broccoli.
Add raisins, crumbled ramen noddles, sunflower seeds, and cashews.
Toss to combine

Tips
*There is enough dressing to double the amount of broccoli but keep the rest of ingredient amounts the same
* Toast the ramen noodles in a dry hot pan on the stove top
* If not serving immediately, add the cashews and ramen noodles right before serving but you can dress the broccoli with the raisins and sunflower seeds a few hours in advance.