Dinner Spanakopitas (Strudels)

Don't skip right over this one because you can't tell by the name what it is; these are actually really good, even if I never can remember what they're called.

You might have noticed there's quite a disparity in numbers among the various types of recipes on my blog. I'll admit, I really enjoy baking desserts. I also have been a bit sick of some of my usual dinner recipes recently, so I haven't had many that I've really wanted to share. However, I thought it was about time to share a "real food" recipe, rather than just dessert. I just made this one for dinner with my husband's family, and they all seemed to enjoy it. I took this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. (My friend Stacy gave me one of her cookbooks for Christmas.) I'll include her original recipe, along with the changes I made.

She mentioned that these are usually made small for an appetizer, but she thought larger ones would be good for dinner. She's made them filled with curried crab meat, and sausage, but her recipe is for a vegetarian version. I added sausage to mine, because my husband doesn't think it's really dinner if there's not meat (or poultry) in there somewhere.

Dinner Spanakopitas (I'll really have to think of another name for these that I can remember)

1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. chopped yellow onion (I used less than this)
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (I only used one 12 ounce package, because of the other ingredients I added)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used a little more than this)
Plain dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. grated nutmeg (I used less than this, but my husband said he'd prefer it leaving out the nutmeg all together.)
2 tsp. sea salt I used less than this), plus some for sprinkling tops of strudels
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 c. small-diced feta cheese (12 ounces)
3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts (I left these out. I like them okay, but decided to leave them out since I added other ingredients)
I added 1 lb. cooked sausage (Jimmy Dean 50% less fat) and 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (not marinated)
24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted (She said that she bus phyllo dough that contains two 8-ounce packages. She uses one, and keeps one frozen for later. The kind I bought didn't have quite 24 sheets in one roll, so I had to make a couple of them with 3 sheets instead of 4. They still turned out fine.)
1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I used salted, because that's what I had)

(I cooked the sausage first, and put it in a bowl. Then I used the same pan and cooked the onions.) Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl. (I added it to the bowl with the sausage in it.)

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. (I then chopped the artichoke hearts and added them to the bowl.) Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. bread crumbs, the nutmeg if desired, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place one sheet of phyllo dough flat on a work surface with the short end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with about a teaspoon of bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together.) Working quickly, slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Pile 4 layers total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with bread crumbs. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Place about 1/3 c. spinach filling on the shorter end and roll up the phyllo diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all dough is used. Place on a sheet pan, seam sides down. Brush tops with melted butter, sprinkle with sea salt (she recommend flaked sea salt), and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot.

*I had about 2 c. of filling left over. She did mention that you can fill and wrap these ahead of time, freeze, and bake later. I would either reduce the amounts of the filling ingredients, or make extras with the other roll of dough, and freeze them for a quick dinner another night.

German Chocolate Cake

I recently read a book by a baker who grew up in Germany who said that there is NOTHING German about coconut and pecans in a carmel frosting. Well, misnomer or not, German Chocolate is one of my husband's favorite flavors of cake. I'm actually not a huge coconut fan, so this is one of those recipes I make just for the benefit of others. I actually wish I liked coconut, because the cake looks so good, but I really just pick around the frosting when I eat this cake.

I'm not sure this is the perfect cake recipe, but I do think it's light, airy, and good. (I've mentioned in earlier posts that from-scratch cakes are sometimes a little dry for my taste. This one is better than some, but I've wondered if it needs a little fine-tuning. But it's still worth making.) I also put a layer of this frosting along with a layer of chocolate frosting on top of a single chocolate cookie from my Homemade Oreo Cookie recipe for a tasty German drop cookie. (Tasty at least to those of you who like pecans and coconut.)

German Chocolate Cake

1 (4 oz.) package German Sweet Chocolate
1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk, which I usually don't have on hand, you can put one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, and fill it up to the 1 cup mark with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and it will work as a substitute for buttermilk in your recipes.)

Melt chocolate in the boiling water; cool. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in vanilla and chocolate. Set aside. Mix flour, soda, and salt. Beat in the flour mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into three 9-inch layer pans, lined on bottoms with waxed paper. (I use 8-inch because that's what I have. It's worked fine.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in center. Cool 15 minutes in pans; remove and cool on rack. Spread frosting between layers and over top of cake. (I use the coconut frosting in between two of the layers and on top of the cake, but I use chocolate frosting in the middle layer and on the sides of the cake.)

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten (you won't use the whites from these 3 eggs)
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. angel flake coconut
1 c. pecans, chopped

Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and nuts.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven are one of my favorite treats. I am somewhat picky about cookies, however. In general, I do NOT like crunchy cookies. There are a couple of exceptions, but for me, chocolate chip and sugar cookies especially must be soft. (No Chips Ahoy for me, thanks.) As long as they're soft, I pretty much like all chocolate chip cookies. However, I do like to try different recipes to find the one I like the best. This is my current favorite. I got this from my friends Missy and Kimi on their blog: http://ificould-ificould.blogspot.com/. (They have lots of other fun craft, sewing, and recipe ideas there as well.) I had never tried one that used oil along with butter before. It helps make them a little crisp on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chocolate chips (I like lots of chocolate chips, so I use a whole 11-12 ounce bag)

Cream butter, oil, and sugars. (Really cream them, let your mixer go for a few minutes.)
Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients together and add to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoon fulls on an ungreased cookie sheet (I use a cookie scoop), and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Bundt Cake

This is delicious. It is very similar to the chocolate bundt cake recipe, but of course with different flavors. Yet another recipe introduced to me by my sister Kathy.

1 yellow cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar

Beat cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water, vanilla, and eggs on high for 8 minutes. Batter will be thick. In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Grease and flour a bundt pan. (Once again, I use Pam with flour.) Sprinkle some of the cinnamon and sugar mixture into the prepared pan, and shake to coat. Alternate layers of the batter and the cinnamon/sugar mixture in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Caramel Popcorn

This is by far my favorite caramel popcorn recipe. I owe my friends Nicole and Barb from work for this one. They always buy pre-popped popcorn for it, but I usually make it with two bags of microwave popcorn, and it's still delicious.

Caramel Popcorn

1 stick butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand)
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 bags of yellow popcorn

Melt butter in pan. Add brown sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil. Add sweetened condensed milk. Return to boiling, and cook to soft ball stage. (Test after about 2 minutes of continuous boiling.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Let cool a little before serving.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

This is another recipe that reminds me of high school. We used to make these at my friend Melanie's house all the time. I don't have her peanut butter cookie recipe, so I use this one, but the basic idea is the same. They are best warm, so the chocolate is still melted.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1/2 c. shortening (I use butter flavored)
3/4 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add sugars, beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place each into a greased mini-muffin cup. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While baking, remove wrappers from peanut butter cups. Remove from oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup completely into the center of each cookie.

Gyoza (Japanese Pot Stickers)

I learned how to make these from my husband. They are one of his all time favorite foods. His favorites come from a restaurant in Japan, but since those aren't easily available to us here, this is a good substitute. We usually have them for dinner with sticky rice, but they make a great appetizer as well.

These are good both fried and steamed. Steaming is more typical of how they would be served in Japan, but most people who haven't had them before tend to like them fried. Frying is also a little quicker.

One pound ground sausage (I like Jimmy Dean 50% less fat), or ground beef
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (Kikkoman)
1 egg
1-2 sliced green onions
1/8 package alfalfa sprouts
1 package round pasta wraps (find in the produce section)

Mix together all ingredients (except pasta wraps). Place about a tablespoon of the mixture into the center of each pasta wrap. Dip your finger in water and run along the edge of the wraps, fold in half, and press edge to seal.

Fried: Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil (about 1/2 inch deep in a frying pan) over medium/low heat. Cook on both sides until golden brown. (It should take about 3 minutes total to cook both sides. If it browns faster, turn down the heat - the meat might not cook all the way if they're not cooked close to 3 full minutes.)

Steamed: Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium/high heat. Spread about one tablespoon of oil across the bottom of the pan. Place one layer of gyoza in pan and cook about one minute, until brown on the bottom. Pour 1/3 cup water into the pan, and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat just slightly and steam covered for 5-7 minutes.  Remove lid and cook just a little longer to crisp the bottoms. Repeat with remaining gyoza.

Serve with white sticky rice and soy sauce.

Pumpkin Bars

Yummy pumpkin cake bars with delicious cream cheese frosting. My sister Mary Ann first introduced me to pumpkin bars, and they've become a favorite of mine. I like my sister-in-law Heather's theory that I can count it as healthy if dessert has a fruit or vegetable in it. That makes me feel better about eating these tasty things. These are actually good even substituting applesauce for half of the oil. (From the Ivory Favorites cookbook.)

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves

Beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together dry ingredients, and add to pumpkin mixture. Spread in greased jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. softened butter (I sometimes reduce the butter by a little bit.)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.

Pancakes (2 versions)

I love breakfast food. My husband, however, is not such a big fan. Because of this, if I make pancakes, french toast, etc., it's usually for myself for dinner when my husband is out of town. I grew up making pancakes from Bisquick, which I still like. However, since I make pancakes only rarely, and in small amounts, I have actually had Bisquick mix go bad before I could use it all.

Instead, I have started making pancakes from scratch. It's honestly almost as easy as using a mix, and I can use ingredients I have on hand. I've included 2 versions of pancakes. One is regular, the other is wholewheat. They're really the same recipe, the type and amount of flour just varies. I've actually been using half white and half wheat flour lately. It's a nice happy medium for me. (I'm not quite healthy enough to eat the straight whole wheat kind.) They're also tasty with fresh blueberries mixed into the batter. (Recipe from Ivory Favorites cookbook.)

Pancakes:

1 1/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix together and cook on hot griddle.

Wholewheat Pancakes

1 c. wholewheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine and beat until well-mixed. Cook on hot griddle.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

I've had great chocolate lava cakes at restaurants, and wanted to try to make some at home. I found this recipe on the internet and decided to give it a try. These are rich, but oh so good. I love the chocolate that oozes out when you cut into the cake. Be aware, the filling needs to be made several hours in advance.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Chocolate lava filling:
3 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (I just use bittersweet chocolate chips. Actually, I do 1/2 milk chocolate chips, because the bittersweet was a little too dark for my husband's taste.)
6 Tbsp. whipping cream
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cakes:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 c. hot coffee or water (I just use hot water)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened (I usually just use salted, because that's what I have on hand)
1/2 c. granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated

For the filling, line a plastic ice cube tray with a large piece of plastic wrap. With your fingers, gently poke the plastic down into eight of the cubes so they are fully lined with plastic.

Melt the chocolate with the cream and corn syrup; whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla extract; set aside to cool until tepid. Fill the eight lined ice cube cups with the chocolate; freeze at least 4 hours, or cover and freeze up to a month. (I usually try to make it at least 6 hours in advance; they haven't always set enough in 4 hours. If they're too soft, they melt into the cake while it bakes instead of staying separate from the cake.)

For the cakes, place rack in center of oven and heat to 425 degrees. Generously butter (I use Pam with flour) eight 4-ounce souffle dishes or ramekins. (I have small set of Pyrex bowls that I use.) Place them on a large cookie sheet.

Melt the chocolate with the hot water (or coffee). Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Cream the butter with 1/3 c. sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stop the mixer and stir in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and salt with a spatula. Beat the egg whites with a clean mixer until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue beating until thick and glossy. Thoroughly mix one quarter of the beaten egg whites into chocolate batter; gently fold in the rest.

Fill each prepared souffle dish about halfway full with the chocolate batter. Gently bury a frozen chocolate cube in the center of each; add remaining batter, filling cups almost to the top. Bake until cakes are puffy and set, 18-20 minutes.

Gently loosen from the sides of the dishes with a butter knife (careful, they're hot), and invert onto serving plates. Serve warm. These are great with vanilla ice cream, real whipped cream, and a few raspberries or strawberries.

Mini Quiche

I took this one right off the Pillsbury website. I will list the recipe as it was posted there. However, I change some of the ingredients when I make it. I don't use pimientos, but I added chopped ham. You could also do spinach, broccoli, change the type of cheese, etc. Also, I didn't have a 2 1/2 inch round cookie-cutter, but it turns out the top of some of our drinking glasses was just about the right size, and worked fine.

1 box (15 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese (6 oz.)
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions (2 medium)
1 Tbsp. chopped pimientos
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
dash ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Remove pie crusts from pouches, place flat on cutting board or pastry cloth. With 2 1/2 inch round cutter, cut 12 rounds from each pie crust. Press one pie crust round into bottom and up sides of each muffin cup. Place 1 Tbsp. cheese in each cup. Top each with a few onion slices and pimiento pieces.

Beat together eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg with a fork until well blended. Pour mixture into crusts, filling to within 1/2 inch of top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes. With tip of knife, lift quiches from cups. Serve warm.

Toffee Apple Dip

I listed this as both an appetizer and a dessert. It's truly sweet enough to be a dessert, but I usually serve it as a snack/appetizer. You can use it however you wish. Our friend Lisa gave me this one, and I've used it many times.

Toffee Apple Dip

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 package Heath toffee chips

Beat together cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in toffee chips by hand. (Don't add the toffee chips until about 1/2 hour before serving, or they will get soft.) Serve with sliced apples.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

There are tons of recipes out there for spinach artichoke dip, and I think I like them all, but this is my favorite one to make. It also has very few ingredients and goes together quickly.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 jar Bertolli brand alfredo sauce
4-6 oz. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 block frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 package shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend spinach, artichoke hearts, alfredo sauce, and 1/2 package of the parmesan cheese in a casserole dish. Add pepper as desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese over the top. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with tortilla chips or French bread. (You can use canned artichoke hearts if you can't find frozen, but don't use the marinated kind.)

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

This is a pretty typical banana bread, but has a tasty twist. It has a crispy, sugary, cinnamon topping that makes it so good. In order to make the topping turn out right, it only works in a bundt or angel food pan. I tried loaf pans, and it just wasn't the same.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Bread:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. bananas, mashed (about 2 large bananas)

Topping:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. nuts, chopped (optional)

The recipe said to line an angel food cake pan with waxed paper and grease well. I use a bundt pan because I don't have an angel food cake pan, and I had trouble getting the waxed paper to work. So I spray the pan really well with Pam With Flour. (Upon further reflection after baking it with the waxed paper once...DON'T do it. Just really grease the pan thoroughly. There's a chance a little of the topping will stick to the pan, but when I used waxed paper, the topping didn't bake through correctly, and there was no crunchy goodness on the top of the cake--and that's the best part.)

Cream the sugar, butter, and eggs. Combine baking soda and sour cream; stir into butter and sugar mixture. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and bananas. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Combine topping ingredients. (I keep the chocolate chips separate and sprinkle them on separately; I find I can control how well they are spread out that way.) Sprinkle half the topping over the batter in the pan. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. (About 55 minutes has usually been about right for me.) Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from the pan.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

This one goes way back to high school. I have my friend Trish to thank for this one. I do enjoy this as is, but I've also made a couple of other versions, using this cookie as the base. It's tasty with layers of mint and chocolate frosting, or with pecan coconut frosting to make German chocolate cookies. (See the chocolate mint brownie recipe for mint frosting. I'll post the pecan coconut frosting recipe later.) Other combinations would also be great I'm sure. Peanut butter frosting sounds good, too. I might have to try that one next.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

1 Devil's Food cake mix (generic brands work best for these cookies
2/3 c. shortening
2 eggs

Combine above ingredients. (Dough will be thick.) Roll into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. (Cookies should still look slightly wet inside, but will set after being removed from the oven.) Allow to sit on hot cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Frosting:

2 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1-2 Tbsp. evaporated milk

Combine ingredients. If needed, add a little more powdered sugar or milk to get to frosting consistency. Frost one cookie and use a second cookie to make a sandwich.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

This is one of my most requested recipes. I have a confession, however. I have tried several homemade brownie recipes, but they all turn out too cake-like for me. I prefer fudge-like brownies, and so far, haven't found a recipe I really like. So I pretty much always make brownies from a mix. My personal favorite is the Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Chunk (the fudge like recipe, of course). I will provide the full recipe, but you can substitute any brownies you would like.

One more note...I also use this mint frosting with the Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe to make a tasty mint chocolate layer cake.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 (6 oz.) can chocolate syrup
1/2 c. butter, softened

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine above ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until top springs up. Cool completely.

Now to the part of the recipe I actually use:

Mint cream center:

2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. peppermint extract (or slightly more if desired)
few drops green food color

After brownies are cool, frost with green mint center frosting. Cool again in refrigerator while making chocolate topping.

Chocolate topping:

6 Tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

On low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread on top of cooled mint frosting and spread to edges. Cool again and serve.

Toffee Chocolate Chip Bars

Sticky, tasty goodness. I first tried these when our friend Kana made them.

2 1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. butter, slightly softened, but not at all melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
12 oz. chocolate chips, divided
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
10 oz. package Skor or Heath toffee bits, divided

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips and nuts; set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over hot crust; top with 1 1/2 cups toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup toffee bits. Cool completely (I sometimes ignore this and eat one warm, but my husband prefers them cooled). Cut into bars.

Chocolate Silk Pie

Yet another recipe from my sister Kathy. (I never realized how many of my favorite recipes came from Kathy. I owe her!) This is rich, but is so chocolatey (I know that's not a word) and sooo good.

Chocolate Silk Pie

1 c. sugar
3/4 c. softened butter
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (I usually stick it in the fridge for a few minutes.)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs (I saw an updated version of this recipe, that said to use 3/4 c. refrigerated egg product instead of eggs since they stay raw in this recipe. I've done that, and it turns out just as good. So if you're worried about egg safety, you can go that route.)

Beat sugar and butter at medium speed for 4 minutes. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time on high speed, scraping bowl after each one. Put in a single pie crust (any kind you like - my favorite is Oreo). Chill 5-24 hours. Top with sweetened real whip cream.

Pecan Pie

I was introduced to thie recipe when one of my parent's neighbors brought dinner over when we were at their house. This delicious pie was dessert, and the neighbor was nice enough to share the recipe. Pecan pie is one of my both husband and dad's favorite pies, so I usually make this a couple of times a year. It is very easy, which makes it even better. My husband actually doesn't really like the Marie Callender's version of this pie (no offense Marie, we love many of your other pies), but he loves this one.

Pecan Pie

3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
dash salt
1 c. dark corn syrup
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. pecan halves
9 inch unbaked pastry shell

Beat the eggs with sugar, dash salt, dark corn syrup, and melted butter. Stir in pecan halves. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake on a cookie sheet (I've had it spill over the edge before) at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted half way between center and edge comes out clean.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

You can make these without a bread machine; just mix the ingredients together yourself. But I love this recipe because I can put all the ingredients in the bread maker, set the timer, and have the dough ready for me when I get home from church or wherever. (I know, I'm probably one of the few people who still own a bread machine. I pretty much never use it for baking bread, but it's very convenient for making dough.) These rolls are light and airy. I got this recipe years ago from someone at church.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

Put the following ingredients in the bread machine first:

2 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter
1 egg yolk - room temperature (you don't need the white for this recipe)
1/2 c. dry milk
1/6 c. sugar (Yes, just 1/6. I just eyeball it to fill my 1/3 measuring cup half full)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water

Next, put 3 cups of bread flour over the liquid ingredients. Poke a small hole in the center of the flour, and put 1 envelope (or 1 Tbsp.) dry yeast in the hole.

Set your machine on dough cycle, and start.

I don't usually worry about this next step, since I'm not usually there when the dough starts mixing. But the recipe says to open the top of the machine 5 minutes after it starts. If there is still flour in the corners of the machine, add 1 Tbsp. water, and scrape the flour with a spatula. Can repeat if necessary. If it seems too watery, you can add flour 1 Tbsp. at a time instead. (Once again, I almost never do this, and they turn out fine for me.)

When the dough cycle is done, empty the machine onto a lightly floured surface. (A rubber spatula helps loosen the dough from the machine.) Gently punch the dough down. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each of them into a ball, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Let rise about 1 1/2 hours. (See my recipe for Speedy Rolls to see how to speed up this part of the process.) I cover them with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray while they rise. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350, until just lightly browned.

Mom's Pot Roast and Noodles

This is one of those classic recipes I have many memories of my mom making. She always makes it for Christmas Eve dinner. She also would make it a few times a year for Sunday dinner. I always loved coming home from church to the smell of this cooking. It's great, because it can cook all day in the crock pot, and I just have to make the noodles when I get home from work.

One boneless pot roast (I usually get a chuck roast, but other pot roasts should work)
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 c. water

Place the above ingredients in a crock pot, and cook about 8 hours (can cook longer). (I always cook mine on low, but my mom had an older crock pot, and used high on hers.) When it's almost done cooking, cut into slices and pour juices over the top; this keeps it nice and juicy.

Noodles:

1 12 oz. package egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
About 3/4 of a pint size container of sour cream

Cook and drain noodles according to package directions. Add 1 cup or more juices from the roast, soup, and sour cream and stir until well mixed. Warm and serve.

Noodles:

Chocolate Revel Bars

This is another one courtesy of my sister Kathy, although it turns out it's also in the Red & White Gingham covered Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. I almost always have someone ask for the recipe when I make these. Very sweet, gooey, and tasty.

Chocolate Revel Bars

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
3 c. oatmeal

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Pat 2/3 of mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Save the remainder for a later step.

Middle layer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts - optional (Those who know me know I almost never put nuts in my desserts, but help yourself if you like them that way.)
2 tsp. vanilla
12 oz. chocolate chips

Heat all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat, except nuts and vanilla. (Don't turn up the heat too high or the chocolate might burn.) Once butter and chocolate have melted, remove from heat and stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread chocolate mixture on top of the oatmeal mixture in the pan. Dot with small pieces of remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Do not over bake.

Peanut Butter Fingers

This is one of my husband's favorite treats. The wife of someone he worked with made them one day, and he actually asked for the recipe for me. Chocolate and Peanut butter, what's not to love? I also like them because they're quick and easy, but make enough for a crowd.

Peanut Butter Fingers

2 sticks butter
2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. peanut butter (I prefer creamy, but you could probably use crunchy)
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Add oatmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mixture will be thick. Spread in an ungreased jelly roll (11" x 16") pan. (You can use both a 9" x 13" and an 8" x 8" both if you don't have an 11" x 16".) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do not overcook; will just be starting to turn golden. Cool in pan. Frost with a layer of peanut butter. Then frost with chocolate frosting (recipe below). Cut in long bars. (I sometimes just cut them in squares. I'm not one for following directions...)

Chocolate Frosting

6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
4 c. sifted powdered sugar (I never sift mine. Once again with those directions...)
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter until smooth and then add cocoa powder. (Watch out, the cocoa powder sometimes puffs up out of the bowl and I end up with a fine layer of cocoa powder on everything in a close radius.) Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar. If needed, beat in enough additional milk to reach spreading consistency.

Speedy Rolls

I took this recipe from the Ivory Favorite's Cookbook. They call it "Natalie's Speedy Rolls", but I don't know Natalie, so I'll just call it "Speedy Rolls". (Although I do appreciate Natalie sharing it in the first place.) For some reason, making homemade bread of any kind used to really intimidate me. However, I love a good homemade roll, and was determined to learn to make them. It turns out, it's not so hard. Of course, having a Kitchenaid mixer has really helped make the dough making process much quicker and easier. This is my most used roll recipe, both because they taste great, and because they are much faster than most homemade rolls. They only rise for about 1 hour and 15 minutes total. (Sometimes I can even speed up the first rise by heating the oven to 100 degrees, then turning off the oven. I place the bowl of dough in the warm oven, and they often rise to double more quickly. However, I've found this works better in an electric oven than a gas one.)

A few notes: This makes 24 rolls. I often cut the recipe in half and make just 1 dozen. Also, I usually roll them out into a rectangle (2 rectangles if making 2 dozen). I cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut it the other direction 5 times, so I have 2 rows of 6 rectangles. I then brush them with butter before rolling them up. Also, I usually bake them in a 9x13 pan. They rise up so they bake right next to each other, and stay soft all the way through. If you prefer them lightly browned all over, you can bake them on a large cookie sheet with a little space between them. The results will be slightly different. Okay, enough rambling. On to the recipe:

Speedy Rolls

2 T. dry yeast
2 c. warm water, divided (I was once told if you dip a finger in the water, then flip the water on your other wrist, if it feels neither hot nor cold, but about the same temp. as your skin, it's the correct temperature. That test has worked pretty well for me.)
1 c. instant powdered milk
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs (room temp. I sometimes put them in warm water for a few minutes if I forget to leave them out ahead of time)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened (plus some extra kept separate for brushing on the rolls if desired)
6 c. flour (I use bread flour, but all purpose works)

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside. In mixing bowl (or Kitchenaid bowl), mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butte, and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10-15 minutes. (It only takes about 5 minutes or less to knead in my Kitchenaid.)

Place dough in an oiled bowl (I spray with cooking spray) and let rise until double in size (about an hour.) Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface, and cut with a pizza cutter or sharp knife into 12 segments. (Here is where I brush them with butter.) Roll up "croissant style" and place on greased cookie sheets, or 2 9x13 pans. Let rise for 15 minutes (while preheating the oven to 350 degrees). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. (If I bake them in a 9x13 pan, they tend to take a full 15 minutes, and I only wait until the tops barely start to turn golden.)

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

One of our friends named Wendy (we have several) was nice enough to share this recipe with me. She served it to us last year, and it's become one of my favorites. Not the healthiest of soups, but it sure tastes good! It serves 16 as written, so I usually cut it in half. Also, I often just buy a rotisserie chicken and chop it up instead of cooking chicken myself. Quick and easy. I've also once had one very similar that added bacon. It was tasty, but I also like it with out, and since it's already not very healthy, I make it without. My friend Nicole recently requested this from me, so here's an easy way to share it with her and anyone else who would like it:

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

16 servings

8 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
4 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded (can use more chicken than this)
2 (4.5 ounce) packages quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet (such as Rice-a Roni)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. butter
4 cups heavy cream (I often just use regular cream not heavy)

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water, and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and reduce heat to low.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened (5 minutes).

Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, at least 10-15 minutes.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Speaking of chocolate cake, why not start with that? I owe my sister Kathy for introducing me to this recipe. It has actually become my go-to cake recipe. I've used it for 9x13 cakes, round cakes, etc. It works for any of them, I just vary the baking time a little. This recipe doesn't call for frosting. Even though it's good without, it's also very tasty with. I've made it into a mint chocolate layer cake, alternating mint and chocolate frosting between the layers. Yum! You can also use this basic recipe for other flavors of cake as well. For example, use a white cake mix and vanilla pudding mix, and leave out the chocolate chips.

I've tried making cakes completely from scratch several times, but they've always come out more dry than this one. So why bother baking from scratch when I can add a few ingredients to a cake mix and have a delicious dessert? Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Mix cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, water, and oil and beat well. Stir in chocolate chips. (Batter will be thick.) Pour into pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Mostly for myself...

This blog is actually primarily a selfish venture. I have often been away from home, and wished that I had access to my collection of recipes. I decided a blog would be a great solution. Maybe a few other people will be able to benefit from these recipes as well. But I'll admit, it's mostly just to take care of the times I have a craving for a yummy chocolate cake or dessert bar when on vacation, and can't remember the recipe. For now, this will be very simple, without pictures or anything. Maybe I'll get ambitious and add pictures at some point. I'm new to the blogging world (I know, I'm late to join the party), but here it goes...