Grandy's peanut butter cookies

This is a very short recipe, I found among some old recipe books Of ,y grandmothers, that i received from my aunt. It's simple, and delicious. I've included the photo of her own handwriting, as it is special to me and I want to share it.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 Egg.

 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl thoroughly. Use a small scoop, and place balls of dough onto cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork (to give the patterned effect). Bake at 350, for 10-15. Until the cookies look set, and the tips are golden. Remove from oven, (if desired, sprinkle spare sugar on top lightly.) and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Mixing:

Baked!:

 

 

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Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

First, apologies for the complete and utter lack of posts between June and now--I was working and traveling a lot and then I began my last year of law school and a second job recently....so obviously stress has sent me back to baking and cooking frequently :)


This is a quick(ish) snack thats high in protein and a crunchy substitute for potato chips :)

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:

• 1-12 oz can chickpeas
• 2 tbsp olive oil (two kinds of olive oil in my recipe, see below)
• Garlic-salt seasoning
• black pepper

Directions

1. Drain the canned chickpeas, and pour onto paper towels. Pat dry with another paper towels (trying to remove excess liquid, dry as much as you can but you do not need to dwell on it)
2. Place chickpeas in a bowl deep enough to toss, pour olive oil on top. I used 1 tablespoon regular EVOO and 1 tablespoon Garlic infused EVOO.
3. Shake some garlic salt on top and toss to coat :) --the amount will be by preference, I did not measure, but I put a fair amount on there.
4. Place covered chickpeas on a baking sheet with rim. -- I covered my baking sheet in tin foil just to aid clean up. 
5. Spread out chickpeas, trying to make sure they are not bunched/stacked. 
6. I use a black pepper grinder and put just enough on top of all chickpeas to at least have a black speck on each one, again this will be by preference for you.
7. Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes or until golden-brown. Watch carefully at the end to ensure they do not burn.
8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy :)

(Picture to follow later)

For those of you wondering, I pick up infused olive oils at different local stores throughout Pennsylvania, but here is a website link to the two I like the most:

http://www.gulfcoastoliveoils.com/   <---in Mississippi

https://www.atasteofolive.com/        <----West Chester, PA

PB coconut hearts

Quick candy!

 

I love this, super easy, and unbelievably delicious.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp natural peanut butter (I use a honey roasted peanut butter from a local farm thats delicious! But any peanut butter will do really)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil (I use extra virgin coconut oil, I believe any coconut oil will be fine)
• Officially 1 tsp maple syrup. Unofficially, i just drizzle a tiny amount, i didnt want it to be over powering but still wanted sweetness. Also i used Vermont maple syrup.
• Dark chocolate for drizzling

Directions:

1. Place the peanut butter in a small bowl, preferably one with a spout to pour.
2. There are two options how to proceed: (a) warm the coconut oil in the microwave and mix with the peanut butter in order to utilize candy molds or (b) mix the coconut oil at room temperature and use a pastry bag to make chips
3. Add the maple syrup for desired sweetness.
4. Depending on your previous choice, either fill a candy mold or using a pastry bag with a tip-press out bite-size pieces onto wax paper.
5. Place in freezer, for at least 20 minutes, the set very quickly.
6. Remove and set on wax paper then drizzle with chocolate as desired. Return to fridge or freezer (I prefer the freezer so they stay completely solid)

 

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Banana Bread!

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2-3/4 tsp korinthe cinnamon (preference)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (preference) (OPTIONAL)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan.
2. In a mixer, beat butter, and sugar until creamy. Add mashed bananas and eggs, beat until smooth(ish)
3. Add buttermilk and beat just until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, stir flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, nuts. Add the dry ingredients to banana mixture and beat until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy, scrape down sides.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan, should be no more than 2/3 full. Bake until dark golden brown, pulling away from sides and a toothpick comes out clean. (About 55-65 minutes depending on your oven)
6. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

ENJOY :)

 

Cindy's Mac and Cheese

This is a family recipe. My great grandmother made it for my mom when she was a little girl. This recipe has been passed down, and made for pretty much every potluck, banquet, and party my family has been involved with. It's a delicious, easy and quick Mac and cheese, that is a little bit different than most. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has over the years

Ingredients:

• 1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked
• 1 lb (block) extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 bag shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 cans16 oz tomato sauce, 1 can 8 oz tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat to 350
2. Pour cooked noodles into a 13x9 baking pan. (I use a stoneware pan, I've used glass and metal, any type will work fine). Add the tomato sauce, and shredded cheese. Mix well all ingredients. (I use almost the entire bag of shredded cheddar. This is a preference, see above the second picture on the left is what it looks like all mixed)
3. Slice the cheese block into thin slices, (see first picture above to how thick my slices are), then lay them on top of the noodles mixture, and try to covere all the noodles
4. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble. Then let cool for a little bit.

Makes great left-overs.

 

Enjoy!

 

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Greek yogurt brownies

My apologies for not posting a sweet recipe yesterday, I am not in town and spent a lot of time out in philadelphia yesterday.

This recipe I found through pinterest, and changed ever so slightly.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (1/2 of a more potent vanilla)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (see notes below)
• 1/4 cup semisweet choco chips
• Walnuts optional
• 2 tbsp espresso powder optional

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, line an 8 in square pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer-- cream butter and sugar until combined. Add egg, egg whites, and vanilla, (optional espresso powder add here too). Beat until well mixed
4. Scrape sides of bowl, and mix on low. Slowly add flour, then yogurt, and mix slowly until combined. The batter will be thick! Add choco chips and walnuts if desired.
5. Spread mixture evenly in pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack before removing and cutting

NOTES

• First, I've used likes, and another brand of yogurt (that I'll have toads later), I know others who have used chobani and it hasn't come out as well, I would recommend any other Greek yogurt besides chobani. Also you could pick a flavored one if you want to add a hint of flavor to the brownies. Like raspberry or orange
• Just so you know, your brownies will shrink, so don't be alarmed. Make double if you want really big thick brownies, or if you just want more of them.
• These brownies will be dense. They are more like a very fudgey brownie without having to add all the fudge to still get the great taste and consistency.

ENJOY :)

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Senate Bean Soup

I originally took this recipe from a cook book from my favorite restaurant in Florida--McGuires. I recommend anyone visiting Destin, FL to stop in because all of their food is delicious. Also their senate bean soup is a little different than mine, and they say this recipe is the original soup recipe served in the Senate for decades at 10 cents a bowl.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried navy beans
• 4 acts water
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 whole cloves
• One large ham bone with some meat still left on (i like to use Honey baked ham soup bones, you can buy them at honey baked ham--they sell them according to weight. That being said, if you have a left over ham bone, thats obviously a great use of the left overs!)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (I use yellow onions or white)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped with leaves
• 2 Large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• A few turns of ground black pepper. This is by preference. The original recipe calls for "16 turns". I usually just put in a couple turns. And let people salt/pepper to their taste.

Directions:

FIRST-pre-soak the beans:

Method 1: The day before, rinse the beans and place them in a large bowl. Add water and allow the beans to soak, covered overnight. This method is preferred as it usually is better at preparing the beans for a recipe.

Method 2: quick soak---this is enough to prepare your beans and faster than the overnight method. Place beans in a pot and cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for two minutes. Then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour, then drain.

Additional note: you will need a cheesecloth pouch or an herb infuser.you can buy cheesecloth at any grocery store, and use twine or string to tie a small pouch. I use this from pampered chef:

1. Prepare a cheesecloth (or use an herb infuser) and place the bay leaf and cloves inside.
2. Drain the beans (if you haven't already) And place them in a large stock pot around the hambone.
3. Add cold water to cover plus 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Add the spice pouch prepared in step one, and the onions, carrots, celery salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the meat is falling off the bone. (About 3 hours) ***add hot water if the level gets too low.
5. Remove the spice pouch and the bone. Shred the remaining meat and add it to the soup before serving.

 

Tips: I like to wait until the beans are almost starting to disintegrate for a thicker bean soup. It is good when it's a broth with beans, or my way. I prefer the thicker soup because it reheats better when it is not as brothy. This is a preference, I've made the soup both ways and it tastes great either way!

 

 

Enjoy!!!

 

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Breakfast Soufflé

A friend in college shared this recipe with me. It was good to make on a sunday when I knew I had a busy week ahead and wanted a warm filling breakfast quick in the mornings.

I'll have to upload a picture at a later date.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 6 slices of bread (white or wheat)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard (seasoning aisle at grocery store)
• 1lb ground sausage, browned (or 1package bacon cooked and cut into smaller pieces)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Dice bread slices into 1 inch cubes.
3. Combine all ingredients in a 9x9 or 9x13 pan. (9x9 just makes thicker soufflé. 9x13 thinner. Both work fine)
4. Bake for 30-45 mins until it is fully cooked.

Enjoy!

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Sweet Saturday

• On Saturdays, I will try to upload a dessert recipe :)--Everyone should celebrate the end of another work week. Note: you can also slice the cake layers in half to make a four layer cake. I had to make this cake relatively quick the last time I made it, so the ganache ran down a littler more than I would have liked if I was taking my time and it is not a 4 layer cake but just a regular 2 layer 

Chocolate Cake, Coconut buttercream frosting, Chocolate Ganache

Cake

1 1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla (Again, I use 1/2 tsp of Madagascar double bourbon vanilla)
3 large Eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups Buttermilk

Frosting
Scant 1/2 cup Flour
1 1/2 cups Milk
2 tsp. Imitation Coconut Extract (I like coconut to give it a light taste, almond or vanilla would also be fine--i'd recommend using imitation vanilla because its clear, so as to prevent the color of the icing from becoming any more yellow)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar 

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz. chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, or a mix

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (1/8 tsp of Madagascar double bourbon)

Directions

1)     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans with butter and flour.

2)     Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

3)     In the bowl of a standing mixer, or a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated and scraping down sides as needed.

4)     With mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mix until incorporated. Then add 1/2 of the buttermilk, mix until incorporated. Repeat until the last 1/3 of flour has been used. Mix until incorporated and then beat for 1 additional minute.

5)      Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides begin to pull away from the edges. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the racks and allow the cakes to cool completely. 

•       You may cut the layers in half later, once they have cooled completely, if you desire 4 thin layers instead

Frosting

1)     While the cakes are baking, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (I would compare it to mashed potatoes). It is very important to whisk continuously so clumps don’t form. This took me about 4-5 minutes, but it’s best to go by texture.

2)     Set milk mixture aside in an ice bath* and allow to cool completely.

3)      In a medium bowl, (or bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a whisk--because that takes substantially less time) beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute or so.

4)     Add the cooled milk mixture and beat on high for 3-5 minutes. If it looks separated, keep beating.

5)     The original recipe calls for dividing the layers into four layers instead of two and frosting between—I’ve done it both ways, you just have a bit of extra frosting left over if you only do the two original layers. Frost the cake, I then left the cake in the refrigerator overnight so the frosting was solid and less likely to run with the ganache

*Ice Bath--for those of you that are unaware, an ice bath is really simple. I use a large 9x12 glass dish and fill it 1/2 with ice and a little bit of water (so the ice is sitting in a puddle essentially), then you put the bowl with the mixture in the ice. That's it :)

Chocolate Ganache

1. Chop chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl.  Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan.  Pour cream over chopped chocolate in bowl.  Add corn syrup.  Let sit for 3 minutes.  Whisk to incorporate until chocolate is silky smooth with no streaks.  Add vanilla and stir with a spoon.
2. Place in refrigerator for about  30 minutes stirring once halfway and again after 30 minutes.----I left it in a little bit longer, I’d actually recommend 45 mins to an hour, so it’s a little thicker for a better drip down effect.
3. Pour the Ganache into the center of the cake and using a rubber spatula, push it slowly to the sides. Let it drip off the sides onto the plate for the dripped-chocolate look and place in fridge or freezer until it stops dripping
4. I also sprinkled powdered sugar on top for presentation.

Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage

 

Ingredients:

• 19 oz bag frozen cheese tortellini (you can do multi-color noodles or regular, taste preference)
• 1 lb ground sweet italian sausage
• 1 bag FRESH spinach (must use fresh, frozen will make the soup weird)
• 2 cans italian diced tomatoes
• 2 cans low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage in a skillet. Drain.
2. Add sausage and remaining ingredients to slow cooker, stir to combine. (add the tortellini frozen)
3. Cook on low for 5 hours, stirring twice during cooking

My friend Lauren intially shared this recipe with me, there are some minor alterations, but basically still the original recipe. I would like to say, this recipe can be watery if you cook too long. Also, I would allow the soup to sit for a little to cool a bit just to ensure it thickens. I also have added romano cheese on top, basically because I personally love Romano cheese. This is not necessary, the soup will be cheesy and delicious without it, I just love it.

 

Great sunday night recipe, and left overs for lunch during the week.

 

ENJOY:)

 

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Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 lb spaghetti, cooked
• 1 lb. velveeta light cheese (2%)
• 2 cups cooked chicken (see below)
• 1 can cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray
2. combine all ingredients in slow-cooker and stir to mix well
3. Cook on low for 2-3 hours
4. Stir and serve (salt and pepper to taste)

NOTE ON COOKED CHICKEN

I get two boneless chicken breasts, cut them up and saute them in olive oil. I would not recommend shredded chicken, as it may mess with the consistency. You also do not want the pieces to be too small, I cut peices into about half an inch cubes. You can do more chicken if you like, I know chicken breasts are often sold in a package containing 3, that would be fine I think.

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Yogurt Chicken Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (at least 2 cups chicken)
• 1 1/4 cup plain low-fat (or non fat) yogurt
• 1/2 cup green grapes (you can use purple, either way I get seedless and I usually cut them in half)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup apples chopped (I've used gala and Granny Smith)
• Optional: raisins, craisins, almonds---this recipe is completely flexible, whatever you think you'd enjoy is probably worth a try :)

Directions:

• REAL SIMPLE. Mix all ingredients. Done. :) This is great on fresh green salad, or as a chicken salad sandwich. this is a great healthy alternative to the manonaise chicken salads you can buy at the deli, and is light and fruity for a summer lunch.

I make this for lunches during the summer when I'm sick of eating just regular salads and want something a little more filling that isn't heavy and isn't unhealthy. I try to buy organic rotisserie chickens, because they tend to be less salty--I'd be weary of flavored chicken, the yogurt does a great job of picking up the taste of the chicken so if you buy a flavored chicken it may over power other ingredients or may not mix well.

 

ENJOY :)

 

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Delicious Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup butter
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 2 cups flour
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups bisquick
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cream butter and sugar
3. beat eggs and milk; mix with butter
4. In another bowl, mix flower and baking powder, then add to butter mixture
5. Stir in vanilla (Personally I use Pampered Chef double bourbon Madagascar vanilla extract, if you use a stronger vanilla cut to half a teaspoon)
6. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan.
7. For the topping, cut butter into sugar, bisquick, and cinnamon. I like to use korinthe cinnamon, it is a stronger taste and I pretty much always use korinthe cinnamon as opposed to regular ground cinnamon--so I strongly recommend.
8. Sprinkle the crumb topping over batter
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when tested.
10. sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired. This is not necessary, the topping is full of flavor and is sweet, but traditional coffee cake requires powdered sugar I am told

Delicious breakfast, can be cooked ahead of time and easy for when you have visitors to eat at their leisure.

This is my mother's favorite recipe, and she says it is a true New Jersey coffee cake--I did not grow up nor have I ever lived in New Jersey, but as it is where she grew up I will have to take her word for it.

Enjoy :)

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Pesto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups fresh basil
• 1 jar sun dried tomatoes
• fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 lb pasta (any kind)

1. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until it begins to form a paste.
2. Next, add the spinach and basil leaves. Pulse a little bit then add the olive oil. Personally, I use 1/4 cup basil infused olive oil, 1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil, and 1/4 regular EVOO. This is not necessary, I have made the recipe with only regular EVOO and its still great, you also could add 2 cloves of crushed garlic with the regular EVOO if you love garlic. :)
3. Pulse the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. You can cook the pasta while you're mixing in the food processor, or after. Cook according to type of pasta and directions, I prefer al dente. I often use whole wheat rotini, because I like using different types of pasta, but regular spaghetti is always great.
4. After draining the noodles, add the pesto sauce and mix thoroughly. Take some of the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar (if you got the tomatoes julienne you do not need to do more than drain some of the oil and add them to the pasta) If you got whole sun dried tomatoes, i recommend slicing them down in half or thirds. I don't have an exact quantity of sun dried tomatoes, I usually add about half a jar for a pound of pesto pasta. You just want enough to have a sun dried tomato with every three bites or so.
5. I use salt and pepper grinders to add a couple turns of each to the entire pasta. You can salt & pepper to taste with each serving. I also like to add fresh grated Romano, or parmesan on top.

ENJOY :)

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