ambrosia dessert

Cookies: Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip

From Denny: This is basically your standard chocolate chip recipe but with the difference of lots of extra vanilla extract to punch up the intensity. They should probably rename these cookies to Intense Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This recipe is from McCormick, the company we usually think of for spices. Turns out they have quite an extensive recipe collection!

These cookies use light brown sugar along with white sugar. We like dark brown sugar at our house and reduce the white sugar by half. But hey, we are living in Louisiana where we like the molasses taste of dark brown sugar.

We bake and cook a lot with the cane syrup produced here. Steen's cane syrup is a lot like black strap molasses in that it is an intense taste but much sweeter, just perfect for baking or making an awesome barbecue sauce. I find it a bit too strong to pour onto pancakes. Of course, my Cajun husband thinks it's awesome on pancakes and waffles. :)

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: McCormick

Makes: 5 dozen or 30 (2-cookie) servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes per batch

Ingredients:

3-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1-1/3 cups butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsps. pure vanilla extract
1 (12-oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 243 calories, 11 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 168 milligrams sodium and 1 gram fiber.

Variations: For the variations below, add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the flour. Use the following add-ins in place of the semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts.

Cranberry, Macadamia and White Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup each dried cranberries, chopped toasted macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.

Coconut, Almond and Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup each flaked coconut, toasted slivered almonds and semisweet chocolate chips.

Coconut, Raisin and Pecan Cookies: Add 1 cup each flaked coconut, raisins and coarsely chopped toasted pecans.

Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Chocolate Bliss (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
Romancing The Chocolate: Black Raspberry Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
Romancing The Chocolate: Cookies: Mini-Chocolate Chip Dipped Shortbread Sticks (dennysfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com)
Romancing The Chocolate: Easy Triple Layer Mud Pie (unusual2tasty.blogspot.com)

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Homemade Apple Chips

I've been experimenting with making homemade apples chips this week. It started with a trip to the grocery store last weekend where I bought Gala apples for .80 cents/lb. Since the house was stocked with apples, I started thinking of what I could do with them. I decided apple chips would be a fun, healthy snack---crunchy, sweet and a lot less calories that potato chips! I searched and looked over a few different recipes like this one on The Italian Dish and this one on Fix Me a Snack. There's only 1 ingredient. The tricky part is baking them just right to get them crispy. My first batch came out chewy. Every oven is different and this recipe of course is based on how my oven baked. You may need to adjust the baking time for your oven. This is how I did it...

Ingredients (printable recipe)

3 medium apples, sliced thinly using a mandoline (1.5mm)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. My oven has convection and I used that option. If you don't have convection the baking will take longer. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay apple slices on parchment paper, making sure not to overlap them. Bake for 1 hour. Turn apple slices over and rotate pans in oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes more. Apple slices will turn crispy as they cool. Store in airtight container. Makes about 40 chips.

*If you'd like the apple slices to stay white, soak them in lemon water (4cups ice water and 1/4 cup lemon juice) immediately after cutting. Pat dry before baking. The chips in the picture did NOT soak in lemon water. I immediately placed them on the baking sheets after cutting and put them in the oven.

**If you like sweeter chips, sprinkle them with sugar or cinnamon sugar before baking.

The Results...
These went quick! I wish there was a way to bake more at once. I made 5 batches this week. Homemade Apple Chips are a crispy, sweet and healthy snack that the whole family can enjoy.

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Easy Triple Layer Mud Pie

Another delectable version of mud pie from Hummingbird Bakery and minniephoto @ flickr

From Denny: This is an easy recipe for those chocolate lovers who are in a hurry to whip up a dessert and then forget about it for a few hours while it chills in the fridge.

Simple pies like this are also perfect for tailgating to those special sports events.

All you need for this simple dessert is part of a can of sweetened condensed milk, 3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate, a prepared chocolate cookie crumb pie crust, a chocolate instant pudding mix, some two percent milk, 1/2 cup chopped nuts and a small tub of frozen whipped topping of your choice.

What could be easier than that? Hmmm... buying it already made at the grocery store? :) But this pie will taste so much better since you made it!

Triple Layer Mud Pie

From: Gevalia coffee - my fav coffee site that started putting up recipes lately

Gevalia customer and chocolate lover, Jennifer Birdsley, shared this creamy, crunchy, chocolatey treat with us. To add even more oomph, she serves it with a chocolate flavored Gevalia coffee.

Prep Time: 3 hours 15 min

Serves: 10

Ingredients

3 squares (1 oz. each) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1 ready-to-use chocolate cookie crumb crust (6oz.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 pkg. (3.9oz. each) chocolate instant pudding mix
2 cups cold 2% milk
1 tub (8oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

Mix chocolate and condensed milk; pour into crust. Sprinkle with nuts.
BEAT pudding mixes and 2% milk with whisk nuts. Stir half the whipped topping into layer in crust.
Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Flavor Tips

Mocha: Steep 2% milk and 2 Tbsp. coffee until heated through; stirring occasionally. Strain, cool. Use coffee milk to prepare pudding as above.
Coconut: Substitute nuts with 1/2 cup toasted coconut.

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Eight Layer Casserole

What's for dinner? I think this is the question I hear the most. Along with....Where's my _______? (fill in the blank with any random object.) My 4 yr. old recently asked me "What's for dinner?" and I responded, "I don't know? What should we have for dinner?" She thought for a moment and said, "brownies and ice cream!" That sounded good to me, too. But, I was out of ice cream and I thought this casserole would be more nutritious. :)

Ingredients (printable recipe)
3 cups dried medium noodles (6 ounces)

1 pound ground beef

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8 ounce) carton dairy sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 (9 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
Directions

1. Grease a 2-quart casserole or a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef until brown. Drain off fat. Stir tomato sauce, basil, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the sour cream and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in milk and onion. In prepared casserole or baking dish, layer half of the noodles (about 2 cups), half of the meat mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of the cream cheese mixture (about 1 cup), and all of the spinach. Top with the remaining meat mixture and noodles. Cover and chill remaining cream cheese mixture until needed.

4. Cover casserole or baking dish with lightly greased foil. Bake in 350 degree F oven about 45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; spread with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

5. Makes 8 servings

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

The Results...
I liked that this recipe called for simple ingredients that I already had in my kitchen. And the ingredients are all things that my kids are familiar with...hamburger, noodles, cheese, etc... So, I was hopeful that everyone would like this. But, this casserole had mixed reviews. Half of us really liked this casserole and gave it 4 stars. The other half didn't like it and gave it just one star. You can't please everyone all the time.

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Creamy Fruit Dip

This week I went searching for a fruit dip recipe for a get together at church. There are a ton of recipes for fruit dip out there. I picked a recipe from Paula Deen and adapted it by using ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (8oz) carton Cool-Whip

Pineapple Juice (approx. 1/4-1/2 cup)

Directions

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together in large bowl until well blended. Add Cool-Whip and blend again. Add pineapple juice to get desired consistency. Serve with your favorite fresh fruits.

Adapted from foodnetwork.com (Paula Deen)

The Results...

This is a rich and creamy fruit dip. The pineapple juice adds a nice hint of flavor. It was very simple to make. I made plenty and brought extra dip and fruit home to share with my family. The kids had this as an after school snack and we also ate this as dessert. Everyone here really liked this dip and we gave it 4 1/2 stars!

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Tortellini with Fresh Vegetables

The first week of the new year is almost over! We did try a new recipe. Tortellini with Fresh Vegetables will start off a new year of new recipes, but will it make it as a family favorite?

Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 (19 0z.) package frozen tortellini

1 med. zucchini, sliced

1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in halves

1 red pepper chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

fresh ground pepper

grated parmesan

Directions

1. Boil tortellini according to package directions. Drain. Drizzle about 1 Tbsp. olive oil and toss tortellini to avoid sticking. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper in oil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender.

3. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

4. Stir in tortellini. Add fresh ground pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Serve with grated parmesan if desired.

Adapted from Betty Crocker

The Results...
Tortellini with Fresh Vegetables is a new family favorite! This makes a nice side dish or a light supper. The zucchini was cooked just right (not too mushy). Everything tasted delicious together from the tangy tomatoes to the tender tortellini. It received 4 stars (out of 5) from our family. This was a great start to a new year of new recipes!

*Update
This makes a great side dish for a BBQ or potluck using fresh summer veggies! I've shared this recipe at the Weekend Potluck, Gooseberry Patch and Foodie Friends Friday.

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Happy New Year!

I will miss 2011. It was a great year for our family, but I am also looking forward to whatever 2012 might bring. This is the time that most of us set goals for ourselves and our families. We plan to continue our goal to try new recipes together for 2012 (hopefully one recipe per week). We've had fun trying new foods and finding new family favorites along the way. We look forward to finding many more in the new year.

I've compiled a list of our Top Ten Family Favorite Recipes that we found in 2011...