C is for Cooking

Christmas cookie exchange

I always participate in a cookie exchange at Christmas time. I bake one type of cookie and end up with 10 different varieties of cookies. It is a win win with everyone. 

This year, I am making a really easy cookie. However these treats are not low fat and are pure chocolatey goodness, but it is only once a year. A little indulgence once a year is OK. 

Chocolate Cookie balls

• Favorite type of cookie(ground down)
• cream cheese
• milk chocolate

Directions:

Using your favorite cookie(I used chips ahoy and oreos) ground down cookies in a food processor until fine. Reserve 2 Tbsp of crumbs for topping. Add cream cheese, about 1/2 cup worth or enough to create a cookie dough with the crumbs. Mix until a nice dough forms. Roll dough into 1” balls and place on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.  Melt chocolate in microwave safe dish until smooth. Using 2 spoons, dip cookie in chocolate, place on wax paper and sprinkle with a pinch of cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until hardened and store in a tupperware. 

Enjoy

love that pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza. We love pizza in this house and we have pizza at least once a week, and sometimes more. 

What can be better than dough slathered in sauce and cheese and topped with your choice of toppings… 

In our house we make our own pizza. We do enjoy eating pizza out and finding a great pizza, but our homemade pizza rocks too!

To start off, we make the crust, let is sit for the day and then top it off with all our favorites, bake and eat. We use a stone to bake on, to try to get the crisp authentic feel from our pizza.   Here is how we do it.

Dough ingredients:

• 2 cups flour(1/2 cup whole wheat, 11/2 cup all purpose)
• 3/4 cup+2 T warm water
• 1t salt
• 1t sugar
• 1T olive oil
• 2 t active yeast

Mix, knead and let sit in a warm place for a few hours. Stretch out to size of pizza you want and let sit some more to rise, this way you will have a nice fluffy crust. 

Add your sauce, and toppings. Bake at 450-500 degrees for 10 minutes. We bake ours on a stone surface, but you could even use a metal pizza pan. 

Slice, eat and enjoy!

Me love Pizza!

chips and dip

Artichoke dip is one of my favorites. However, those store bought varieties are chocked full of bad fats. Here is one I made the other day that is really good and way better for you. Another bonus is it is quick and easy to make.  

Ingredients:

• 1 can of artichoke hearts in water
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Pour into an oven safe dish, and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown.

Serve with chips, bread, and fresh vegetables. 

Shephards pie

Doesn’t that look delicious… I made a Shephard’s pie the other day and it was really good. Here is my recipe and how I threw it all together. 

Ingredients:

• Extra lean ground beef
• 2 minced onions
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• salt, pepper and italian seasoning to taste
• 1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce(homemade)
• 5 large potatoes - peeled and quartered
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 cups frozen vegetable mix

Directions:

• Boil potatoes and vegetables and let simmer until soft. While vegetables are cooking, cook beef in a fry pan with onions, garlic and seasoning. When meat is cooked, add tomato sauce and stir for 2 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup grated cheese and stir until melted. Spoon into a pie plate. 
• Drain vegetables and layer over meat mixture. When potatoes are done, mash with 2 Tbsp milk and layer over vegetable mixture. Top with remaining cheddar and put in oven. Bake at 350 for about 20 - 30 minutes. 

Cut, serve and enjoy.  I ate this with some ketchup on the side and it was delicious. 

apple torte is the new and improved apple pie

OMG! This is better than apple pie and a tie with apple crisp. This is one of my new favorites to add to the recipe file. 

APPLE TORTE

Ingredients:

• Base: 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup of raspberry or apricot jam
• Filling: 1 8oz package of light cream cheese(softened if brick style), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla
• Topping: 3 cups peeled and sliced apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions: 

• Base: Cream butter and sugar together. Blend in flour and press into the bottom and up the sides 1 1/2 inches of a 8 1/2 inch spring form pan. Spread jam evenly over bottom of crust. 
• Filling: Beat all filling ingredients together with electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over jam. 
• Topping: Toss apples, sugar, and cinnamon until well coated. Spoon or arrange over filling. Sprinkle with almonds

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake another 25-30 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool slightly and remove pan rim. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Homemade granola bar goodness

I love these granola bars. This was a friends recipe she gave me and is quick and easy and delicious. Of course, I have modified the original recipe. Below you will find the original recipe as well as my modified version to add a little more to the bars to make them a bit better for you. This was a hard recipe to modify too much as the butter is needed to keep the bars together, although I did cut the sugar somewhat.  

Ingredients:

• 4 cups large flake oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Modified ingredients list:

• 4 cups large flake oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup crushed almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions: Add all ingredients to bowl. Stir until dry ingredients are all covered in butter. Place on a parchement sheet lined baking tray and pat down into place. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from heat and cut into squares. Leave on pan until completely cool and remove and store in an airtight container. 

Warning: These will not last long, they are so good!

Tuna Wraps

Tuna is considered a brain food. Canned tuna is fast and inexpensive and fits many budgets. Shops even sell flavored tuna for a twist on the recipe. 

To make these yummy tuna wraps you will need

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Tuna(any flavor you desire)
• 2 T mayonnaise
• diced pickle or celery
• whole grain tortilla
• lettuce, washed and ready to go
• salt and pepper to season. 

Directions:  Mix up tuna, mayonnaise and pickle until light and fluffy and season with salt and pepper.  Lay lettuce on a tortilla shell, top with tuna mixture, roll and serve. 

Me eat Tuna wrap!

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie

What is Thanksgiving with out the traditional pumpkin pie. Buying the pie shells makes this recipe pretty quick and easy to make. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups canned pumpkin
• 4 store bought crusts
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups of evaporated milk(2 cans)

Directions: Bake store bought crusts for about 8 minutes in oven at 400 degrees. Meanwhile mix pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, eggs and evaporated milk and whisk until well combined. 

Remove crusts from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then divide filling between pie shells and bake until center is set about 40-45 minutes. The filling will be slightly loose in the middle but will firm up as it cools. Cool on a wire rack and transfer to refrigerator until well chilled. Serve with whip cream or ice cream or as is. 

Chicken Noodle soup

Now that the weather is getting cooler, time to get back into soups for dinner. I tried one recipe the other week to make vegetable minestrone and what a bomb that was… so this week I decided to make chicken noodle soup and it was so delicious and better so, I have leftovers for dinners or lunches to come. 

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts(cooked and cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 large carrots, sliced
• salt, pepper, parsley to taste
• alphabet noodles

Directions:

Add all ingredients in pot except noodles. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to low and simmer 2 hours.  About 1.5 hours after boil, place alphabet noodles in separate pot and boil till done. Drain water and rinse and then add noodles to soup. Bring back up to a boil and then turn off heat and let sit 10  minutes. Serve in bowls with crackers, bread or a sandwich on the side. 

Carrots and Ketchup

If your children or even yourself love ketchup and want to make it healthier, add about 2/3 cup of purreed carrot to your ketchup bottle and give it a good shake. Your kids will never know it is even there and they will be getting an extra vegetable.

To make Carrot Puree:

• Boil carrots until tender. Blend with some of the water to form a nice smooth puree. Mix in with ketchup and shake. 

You can do this with many other vegetables and be able to increase the vegetable intake and or cut the fat from your recipes.  You can make macaroni and cheese and add cauliflower puree, soups and baked goods with  pumpkin, squash, carrot puree and sweet potato.  So many options…..