No Bake Cookies

I'm still painting, and by my calculations I'll be painting for 11 more weeks.  Curses.  It's not like the house is 12 million square feet, it's just that painting and toddlerhood don't coincide nicely.  It takes a lot longer to get things done.  I'm complaining.  I'm sorry.  I love my little girl.  I love that my dear husband has agreed to let me paint.  And blessedly, in May the painting will be finished.

I'm still cooking, and although last night's dinner was a huge failure dessert was not.  These cookies were one of my childhood favorites and welcome morsels of sweet cookie bliss after dinner's failure.  The enchilada recipe is now in the garbage will furthermore remain unmentioned.

No Bake Cookies
½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
½ cup milk
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

Position a sheet of waxed paper in a baking sheet; set aside.

Put butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in a large sauce pan; cook and stir over medium heat. Allow mixture to come to boil, continue cooking for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix until peanut butter is blended. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by heaping spoonfuls into waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm.

Lasagne

My college roommate was an excellent cook. While I realize it sounds unbelievable and sort of scary that a young lady barley exiting adolescence could do such wonders in the kitchen, it is, in fact, true. The girl could cook! It was a gift she learned from her lovely mother.  I was never too fond of lasagna until I tried theirs. It’s the homemade tomato sauce and seasoned cheese filling that makes this recipe so great. I made a ½ recipe of her lasagna for dinner last night.

I’ve been hearing about no-boil lasagna noodles a lot lately, so I decided to give them a try. It made lasagna making so much easier. No boiling and cooking ahead of time. No draining the noodles and then cleaning the pot and colander. I was in love with myself for using these oh so easy noodles. The recipe below is for regular noodles, but it can easily be adapted to use the no-boil variety. Just follow the instructions on the package.

Lasagna
recipe from Lois and Sarah Nelson
printable version of this recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon basil flakes
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 24-ounce cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 quart home canned tomatoes)
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
10 ounces lasagna noodles
2 cups cottage cheese
2 8-ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon oregano flakes
½ cup Parmesan
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 beaten eggs
½ teaspoon pepper
1 pound shredded Mozzarella

Coat a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Brown meat; drain fat. Add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Cook noodles in salted water; drain and rinse. Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, oregano, Parmesan, parsley, eggs and pepper; set aside.  Preheat oven to 350.

Spread a scant amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Put half of the drained noodles in the pan; spread with half of the cottage cheese mixture, half of the meat sauce and half of the Mozzarella. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Easy French Bread

Who wants French bread that was purchased on Friday for dinner on Tuesday? Not me. I love French bread but rarely buy it because I don't use it fast enough, so I went in search of a recipe to fix my predicament. This one is really easy and really good, but plan ahead because it takes about 2 ½ hours from start to finish. It was well worth it for me last night, and I'm pretty sure it cost less than the grocery store's $1 French bread. It definitely tasted better and it made my house smell so good.


Easy French Bread
recipe from “Managing your Meals,” page 244
printable version of this recipe

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Combing water and sugar in a large mixing bowl; sprinkle yeast on top and allow it to soften. When yeast is foaming, add salt, oil and 1 ½ cups flour; mix well. Add enough remaining flour so dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Leave mixing attachment in dough and allow it to rest for 10 minutes; stir dough down; allow it to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat until dough has been stirred down 5 times.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead a few times to coating it with flour for handling, if necessary. Roll dough into a 9x12 inch rectangular shape. Roll dough up like a cinnamon roll, starting at the long side. Pinch ends to seal them. Arrange seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow bread to raise for 30 minutes, or until doubled.

When dough is raised, make three gashes at an angle across the top with a very sharp knife; brush entire surface with egg wash. If desired, sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, or until brown. Cool on wire rack. Recipe is easily doubled yielding 2 loaves of bread.

Indian Fry Bread

I made Navajo tacos for dinner last night. I considered using Rhode’s roll dough for the scone, but then remembered about Indian fry bread and decided to give it a shot instead. I vaguely recall my brother bringing a fry bread recipe home from his Navajo elementary school teacher, but I’m pretty sure my mom has the recipe and she was travelling when I made the fry bread. I found a recipe here and loved it. The Rhode’s roll dough would have tasted good, but I really liked the thought of using fry bread. It turned out to be delicious.

Indian Fry Bread
recipe found here
printable version of this recipe

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons powdered milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying
Mix dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add water all at once and stir with a fork. Using floured hands, mix until the flour is pretty well incorporated. Mix well, but do not knead. The dough will be sticky inside and well floured outside.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Stretch and pat dough until it’s about 5 to7 inches in diameter. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350 in a skillet; when oil is hot, gently place dough in the skillet and fry until golden on both sides. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until serving.

Navajo Tacos
1 pound ground beef
½ cup diced onion
8 cooked Indian fry breads
2 cups shredded cheese
1 head shredded lettuce
3 diced tomatoes
Sour cream

Cook ground beef and onions together until meat is brown and onions are soft. Layer the following: fry bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Stack Biscuits

Winnifred Jardine, you've done it again! I absolutely adore the cinnamon stack biscuits in your “Managing Your Meals” cookbook. They have all the glory of a cinnamon roll, but they’re simpler and quicker. Using sweetened biscuit dough instead of bread dough is brilliant!  It's quicker to get food from the mixing bowl to the table. The biscuits turned out flaky, crisp on the edges and nice and soft in the middle. I made a powdered sugar glaze and drizzled it over the top of these little babies. I'm in cinnamon sugar heaven!

Cinnamon Stack Biscuits
recipe from page 249 of "Managing your Meals"

2 cups all-puropose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, stir flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and sugar together. Cut shortening into the dry ingredients and mix well—until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and mix until it forms a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 16x10 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with mixture of ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon. Cut lengthwise into five 2-inch strips. Stack the five strips; cut into 12 pieces. Place cut side down in 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits.

Tortellini with Chicken and Artichokes

Here’s another great recipe from Pam over at For the Love of Cooking. I made this for a quick and pretty healthy dinner last night. I was pleased with the results, especially when my husband told me he liked it. He’s not usually a big fan of tortellini.

I loved the spinach and pieces of artichoke heart in this dish, but I think my favorite flavor was from the yummy marinated chicken pieces. They were crispy and golden on the outside and tender inside. The lemony chicken tasted so good with the creamy tortellini and delicious vegetables.

Tortellini with Chicken, Artichokes and Lemon Sauce
recipe from For the Love of Cooking
printable version of this recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic, divided
6-7 basil leaves, chopped
Peel from 1 lemon, grated (reserve the juice for the lemon sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut into small pieces
½ cup grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 9-ounce package of cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Put one chicken breast on a cutting board and cover it with plastic wrap. Pound it with a mallet until it is ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the other chicken breast. Put both chicken breasts in a zip top bag and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 3-4 basil leaves, lemon peel, salt and pepper to the bag. Squeeze the bag to mix the marinade, making sure it coats the chicken evenly. Refrigerate allowing chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for several minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and cook the other side for several more minutes, making sure the juices run clear before removing the chicken from the pan. Remove from heat, let the chicken sit for 5 minutes and then cut into bite sized pieces.

Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, put the mushrooms to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in. Saute until golden. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes and garlic to the pan, stirring frequently. Drain the tortellini, add it along with the chicken, the reserved lemon juice, butter, Parmesan, basil leaves, salt and pepper.

Easy Parmesan Breadsticks

My aunt makes the most wonderful breadsticks. She was kind enough to share her recipe with my family, and my mom ended up making them a lot while I was growing up. She usually served them with soup, and that’s what I ended up making for dinner last night: soup and breadsticks. The soup was good, but the breadsticks were better.  With only four ingredients, these little gems are also really easy to make.

Parmesan Breadsticks
recipe from my aunt, Carolyn G.
printable version of this recipe

1 loaf Rhodes white bread dough, thawed
½ cup melted butter
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup grated Parmesan

Thaw bread dough according to package directions. Roll dough into a rectangular shape ½ inch thick. Cut 1 ½ inch wide breadsticks and place on a greased baking sheet. Spray plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover the breadsticks. Let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375. Melt butter in a saucepan, remove from heat and add mayonnaise and Parmesan; mix well. Spoon mixture evenly over breadsticks. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

I saw this recipe on For the Love of Cooking and knew right away I had to try it.  Let me tell you, this lovely little cake is so moist and tender, and the textures from the frosting pair so nicely with it.  I love this delicious little cake. 

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

recipe from For the Love of Cooking

printable version of this recipe

½ cup quick cooking oatmeal

¾ cup boiling water
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 egg
¼ cup shortening
*Coconut pecan frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9x9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Pour boiling water over oatmeal, stir, and cover; set aside. Combine the dry ingredients, then add the egg, shortening and saturated oatmeal; mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 23-25 minutes. (Note—I used an 8x8 pan at high altitude and ended up baking my cake for closer to 30-35 minutes.)

*Coconut Pecan Frosting
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread frosting over hot cake. Turn the broiler on and move an oven rack to the top position in the oven. Return frosted cake to the oven and broil just until the coconut is brown. Cool cake completely before slicing.

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Truffles
recipe from "Better Homes and Gardens"
printable version of this recipe

1 11 ½ ounce package milk chocolate pieces
1/3 cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon almond, mint or vanilla extract
½ cup toasted ground almonds
8 ounces white melting chocolate
½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon shortening

In a heavy saucepan, combine milk chocolate pieces and whipping cream. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat, cool slightly and stir in almond (or other) extract. Beat mixture with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Shape chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls, roll in ground almonds and place on prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt white chocolate. Quickly dip chocolates into melted white chocolate one at a time. Let the excess melted chocolate drip off before placing on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate truffles for 30 minutes.

Heat the semisweet chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan. Pour the melted chocolate into a sandwich bag, cut one corner off and drizzle decoratively over the tops of the truffles. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes about 48 pieces.

Butter Toffee

I’m not dead. I have, however, lost a couple of pounds because of the stomach flu; no, not from morning sickness. (Could I be so fortunate?)

Happily I will spare you from the details. Let’s be honest, though. While taking a mini blog break I continued to cook and eat, and sometimes even take pictures of the goods. So considering the meagerness of the January posts thus far, I have some ground to make up. I will post recipes I both liked and took pictures of while I was away, starting with a lovely butter toffee recipe and then a chocolate truffle recipe.  The toffee was easy breezy and delicious.  The truffles were also delicious but they were a little more time consuming.

Butter Toffee
recipe from "Better Homes and Gardens"
printable version of this recipe
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted and divided
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¾ cup semisweet chocolate pieces

Line a 9x13 pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Sprinkle ½ cup of toasted pecans in the pan and spread them evenly across it. Set the pan aside.

Melt butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan; tilt the pan to coat the sides of with melted butter. Add sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium high heat until the mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently until thermometer reaches 290, soft-crack stage. Remove saucepan from heat, remove candy thermometer and pour candy into prepared pan.

Let candy stand for about 5 minutes or until firm. Sprinkle with chocolate and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes. When chocolate has softened, spread it over candy. Sprinkle with ½ cup toasted pecans. Chill until firm. When the candy is firm, use the foil to lift it out of the pan; break into pieces. Store tightly covered. Makes about 1 ½ pounds.

Cinnamon Rolls

We’re remodeling! We bought our little townhome four years ago and we finally agreed that painting the place would be a good idea. We’re also considering installing a wainscot in bathrooms and new flooring. I’ve been removing baseboards in the bathroom lately, an arduous job, but it will be well worth it when the floor and wainscot are in. It wouldn’t be so challenging if little girl would engage herself in some unsupervised play, but she refuses and would rather sit on my lap. I’m not sure, but I don’t think power tools and 1 year-olds are a safe combo.

I did make some post worthy cinnamon rolls, and will quickly share the recipe so I can get some paining in before the child wakes. The recipe is from a childhood neighbor and high school Spanish teacher. It’s my favorite cinnamon roll recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls
recipe from Lorraine Linares
printable version of this recipe

1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup warm water
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
¼ cup potato flakes
½ cup boiling water
½ cup evaporated milk
4 eggs
½ + ¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup oil
3 to 4 cups flour
Ground cinnamon
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted
*butter cream icing

Spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray and set aside.

Mix sugar and water together. Sprinkle yeast into the sugar water and stir; set aside until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid) pour boiling water over potato flakes. Once the potato flakes dissolve, add the evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt and oil; mix well. Add yeast and stir. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups more, and mix. The dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. Oil the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl; return the dough to the bowl, turning once to cover the top of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until double.

Punch the dough down and pour it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll in a rectangular shape about ¼ inch thick. Spread dough with melted butter; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugars. Roll dough, starting with one of the long rectangular edges of the dough. Slice roll into 1 ½ inch wide cinnamon rolls; place on prepared baking sheets. Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover rolls. Preheat the oven to 350 and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet and let them cool a little on a wire rack before frosting.

Butter Cream Icing
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons milk
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if mixture is runny or more milk if it’s too dry.