Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Sandy

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

by Sandra Nickerson on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 3:54pm
Mix your favorite brownies, mix your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. (Or buy them).
Spread the brownie mix on the bottom layer in a parchment lined pan, drop the cookie dough by tablespoon on top of the brownie mix. Flatten the cookie dough into the brownies. Bake 350, 40 minutes… or until cake done.

Perfection! Serve with coffee or even vanilla ice cream.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Sandy

Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorites.

I have my family well trained.  You can ask any of them, “what follows a roast chicken dinner?”  And they will all scream out – “Enchiladas”!  Yes, bake two chickens and you are now prepared and ready for wonderful enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas

by Sandra Nickerson on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 3:50pm
1 baked chicken (mine was 6 pounds. You could buy 2 baked from Vons.)
2 cans enchilada sauce (1 hot, 1 mild – I mix them) 
    Red or Green Sauce
2 cups Mexican grated cheese or mild cheddar
36 Corn Tortilla Shells
1 can of black olives
4 green onions chopped finely. (I use the white and the green)

Shred the chicken and soak in half the sauce. Warm, then let it cool as you prepare the shells.
Warm the other half of the enchilada sauce in a separate pan. Fry the shells, then dip them in the the sauce allowing the tortilla to soak up the flavor. Soak one at a time. (If you leave it in too long, it will fall apart.)
Fill the soaked tortilla shell with sauced chicken, crumble an olive into it, spread some cheese over the top, and
sprinkle a few onions. Then roll the tortilla, placing the opening on the bottom side so it stays closed. Assemble and arrange in your pan. (My pan will hold 2 deep, and 16 each layer.) Use your left over enchilada sauce to pour over the top, sprinkle with the last of the olives, cheese, and onion.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Posted in Chicken, Fan Favorites, Leftovers - Great Time Savers, Mexican Restaurant | Leave a comment

Making Easter Baskets

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Sandy

Making Easter Baskets – Gardening – Spring Time

Bag of Flower Bulbs
Hand Shovel or Rake
Gardening Gloves
1 basket
Cellophane and Ribbon
A couple of handfuls of candy

Potted Blooming Flower

I included a jar of homemade jam to personalize my gift even more.
Write on the ribbon, the name of the person you are giving the basket to, and I usually write
e-bunny.

Wrap with cellophane and a ribbon. Depending upon the number of baskets you are making, it helps to break up the tasks into smaller, more achievable goals.
I will deliver my office baskets tomorrow.

Happy Crafting!

Easter Basket for the Gardener

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Pear Butter with Cardamom

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Sandy

Pear Butter with Cardamom

by Sandra Nickerson on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 10:27am
10-12 Barlett Pears – Peel and dice
6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
3 Cups White or Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Cardamom powder
1 teaspoon salt

Add lemon and sugar to diced pears and let sit for about an hour. You want juice to come out of the pears. Simmer on the stove and add the Cardamom powder and salt. Boil and still, cooking the mixture down until it is thick and the consistency you want. Use a stick blender to mash up the pears once they are falling apart. (I think it is best to let most of the juice cook out before you mash, because the thicker mixer is quicker to scorch.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Can in water bath for 10 minutes.
Very nice.

Pear-Cardamom Butter

Optionally: You can use orange juice for lemon, brown sugar instead of white and nutmeg instead of cardamom. And you can even use apples instead of pears. Have fun!

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Baked Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Sandy

3 Tablespoons Walnut Oil or butter but remember the Walnut adds a richness that is exceptional.)
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Pears: halved, cored, peeled
1/2 C Chardonnay

Mix ingredients in an oven proof pan or frying pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or fork tender.
Baste several times with sauce.

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream

Heaven, I am in Heaven

Simple, Elegant, Delicious.

Denny, I made the pears we did in the cooking class. You should definately try this recipe.
Serves 4, but very easy to double or triple this recipe. Great for a crowd.

If you have leftovers, serve over cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast.

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Chocolate Torte – Flourless Cake

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Sandy

Use the best chocolate you can afford.

This cake is extremely rich, and tastes like the most delicious,
silkiest, most supremely-chocolate ganache you’ve ever had which is also offered and sold by some of the leading online Cake Shops similar to Anges de Sucre cake shop. As
mentioned, it’s equally good a few days later – in fact maybe better the next day.
Use ScharffenBerger chocolate for this cake, you’ll appreciate it when you taste
your first melt-in-your-mouth bite.

10 ounces (290 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
7 ounces (200 g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar

And any of the following options:
1 T instant espresso/coffee or
1 T vanilla or
2 T Grande Marnier and 1 T Grated Orange Rind (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).

1. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan* and dust it with cocoa
powder, tapping out any excess. If you suspect your springform pan
isn’t 100% water-tight, wrap the outside with aluminum foil, making
sure it goes all the way up to the outer rim, you can also line the pan
with parchment.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (or microwave),
stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in
the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top
of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a
larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to
the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake
pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

You’ll know the cake is done when it feels just set, like quivering
chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger should
come away clean.

5. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake
cool completely on a cooling rack.

Serve thin wedges of this very rich cake at room temperature, with
creme anglaise, ice cream, or whipped cream.

Storage: This Chocolate Cake can be wrapped and chilled in the
refrigerator for 3-5 days.

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Stuffed Mushrooms – Steak, Cheddar and Creamy Horseradish

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Sandy

4 Portabello Mushroom Caps (cleaned)
5 oz steak sliced thinly
Cheese- A mixture is always good: cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack
touch of creamy horseradish or Onion Marmalade – garnish tops with a bit of carmelized onions.

Baked stuffed mushrooms, are an easy dish to prepare an cook. It will take approximately 25 minutes to complete, depending on what You stuffed the mushrooms with, it may take a little longer. The best thing about mushrooms is they make a perfect little container for Your other favorite ingredients. There is an endless combination of what You can stuff a mushroom with. You can even stuff a mushroom with other mushrooms, there is so many options when using mushrooms, from taste to flavor, to that special texture mushrooms are are a dish to behold.

This recipe of baked stuffed mushrooms is My favorite, You can always substitute, for Your favorite ingredients an mushrooms to get that taste You enjoy. You can keep it plan with some cheese, or overdue it with egg, steak an cheese. A good combination, that plays on each ingredient taste, will create a to die for side dish.

Preheat Oven 400F. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, cook steak on skillet, until brown. As the steak is cooking add Your favorite cheese, I used American, Brie an Mozzarella Mix well. You will want to lightly clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth, Trim there stalks, Put the mushrooms into a bowl, add olive oil, salt, pepper, an paprika (or Your favorite spice). Toss lightly. Place mushrooms on a flat pan cap side down. Remove steak an cheese from skillet add to each mushroom top, Sprinkle grated Parmesan on each. Place in Oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until mushrooms are crisp. Serve

This recipe is very flexible, it is best to use Your favorites. Their is so many types of mushrooms an a flavor for everyone. You can stuff a mushroom with almost anything, it’s good to keep Your mind open to to the many options You have when making this mushroom dish.

Posted in Appetizers, Beef, Side Dishes | Leave a comment

Rice Krispies Treats

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Sandy
I think my husband grew up on these.  His mom continued to make them for my kids.  Always a hit.  You can kick them up by adding chocolate chips or
warming the chocolate and drizzling it over the top. 
 Kellogg’s® prints the recipe for Rice Krispies Treats® on every box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies®. The basic recipe for Rice Krispies Treats® has changed very little over the years. Oh, some of us now prefer to use butter, in place of margarine, and we may tinker a little with the ingredients, but its original flavor and texture are still there.  Some prefer to use miniature marshmallows, large ones are fine, or you can even use a 7 ounce jar of marshmallow creme. But it is important to use fresh marshmallows as they melt so nicely, and make sure to butter or spray, with a non stick vegetable spray, the baking pan, the saucepan, the bowl, and all utensils, as this mixture is very sticky. These treats are definitely at their best when freshly made, although they can be stored for a few days at room temperature.

Rice Krispies Treats®: Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) square baking pan.

Place the Rice Krispies® in a large bowl that has been buttered.

Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a heavy medium sized saucepan. Melt the butter and salt in the saucepan over medium low heat. Add the marshmallows and constantly stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Add the vanilla extract and then pour the mixture over the Rice Krispies® cereal and stir until all the cereal has been coated.

Immediately pour the mixture into your prepared pan and lightly pat until even. Cool at room temperature until the Rice Krispies Treats® have set. Cut into squares. Can store at room temperature for a few days if well wrapped

Makes about 16 squares.

Sources:

Rice Krispies Treats, Rice Krispies and Kellogg’s are trademarks of Kellogg’s NA Co.

Rice Krispies Treats®:

6 cups (150 grams) Rice Krispies® cereal

3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter or soft natural buttery spread*

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 – 10 ounce (285 grams) package miniature marshmallows

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* I like to use either Smart Balance® or Earth Balance®

®Smart Balance and ®Earth Balance are registered trademarks of Smart Balance Inc.

To make these perfect for company, dip into dark and white chocolate half and half.
Pretty and tempting.

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Bread Pudding Muffins

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Sandy

Bread Pudding: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly grease with butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (23 x 33 x 5 cm) heatproof baking dish. Place the baking dish into a larger roasting pan that has enough room to fill with water.

For Custard: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until thick and lemon colored (about 4-5 minutes) (when beater is raised the batter will fall back into bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. Then beat in the melted and cooled butter and half and half (light cream).
Assemble: Place the bread cubes and fruit (if using) in the baking dish. Carefully pour (or ladle) the prepared custard over the bread cubes until completely covered. Press down the bread cubes so they are covered with the custard.
Prepare a water bath. (A water bath is used to provide temperature protection for the egg custard.) Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up sides of the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer. Remove the bread pudding from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.
Can be served warm or cold with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a dollop of softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Makes one 9 x 13 bread pudding (serves about 8 – 10 people)

Bread Pudding:
9 – 10 cups of bread cubes, (crusts left on or removed) cut into bite sized pieces
Custard:
4 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
1 1 /2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 cups (960 ml) half & half, milk, light cream or a combination thereof
Variation: Can replace 2 tablespoons of the milk/cream with 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum.
Note: Use breads (or a combination thereof) like French, Broiche, Challah, Croissant, Italian, or Panettone. The bread can be fresh or stale and crusts can be left on or removed. You can also use day old scones.
Fruit: (Optional)
– 1 large peeled and cored tart apple, diced
– about 1 – 2 cups of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
– one large diced banana and 2 ounces of chopped white or dark chocolate
– 1 cup sultanas (raisins)
– 1 cup of chocolate chips

 
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Bistro Ham and Pepper Jelly Sandwich

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Sandy

Ham pulled into small pieces
Kaiser Roll for each sandwich – Lightly Toasted
1 T Marscapone Cheese
1 tsp Pepper Jelly
2 T Marinated Onions
4 slices of Bread and Butter pickles

Mix the marscapone cheese and pepper jelly together. This makes a great spread for many types of sandwiches.
Spread the pepper cheese on the bottom of the Kaiser Roll, top with ham, top with marinated onions or bread and butter pickles.

Very, very good.

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