Peanut Butter Cookies for Two

Thursday, October 22, 2009

If you like peanut butter, you'll love these cookies. They are a chef's best friend.  They are very quick to make, easy clean up and delicious. I've scaled down this recipe because the original just makes too much.  This recipe makes about 12 cookies, which is perfect for two people.

Peanut Butter Cookies for Two

1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. + 1/8 c. flour
Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30-40 seconds. Add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Scrape sides of bowl while mixing. Beat in egg and vanilla until well incorporated. Beat in flour and mix well. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may want to refrigerate the dough for about 15 min so the do will be easy to handle.

In a small bowl, add about 1/4 sugar. Roll spoonful of dough into 1" balls. Roll ball in dough and place on cookie sheet.  Flatten cookie with fork, making crisscross with fork tines. Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes or until bottoms are slightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may like:

Pumpkin Cookies with Walnuts

Apple Crisp for Two

Joanne's New England Clam Chowder

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Here is another secret family recipe I would like to share with you all - my mother's New England Clam Chowder.  My parents have been making this for years and people always ask them when they are going to make it again. It's something that they cook together: he makes the roux; she does the rest. It's creamy and the perfect meal to eat on a cold day.  You can double or triple the recipe to your liking.

Joanne's New England Clam Chowder

2 10 oz. cans of baby clams
1 c. clam juice
6 slices of bacon
1 c. chopped onion
4 c. diced potatoes
3 c. half and half
1/2 c. cocktail Sherry
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Drain clams and pour liquid into a measuring cup. Add water to clam juice to make 1 cup of juice. Rinse clams under water and set aside to drain.  Cut bacon into 1/2 " strips (Mom uses kitchen shears) and fry in a large saucepan until crisp.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Add potatoes and clam juice.  Cover and let simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).  Add half and hlaf and Sherry and let simmer.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux.  Cook until thick and light golden brown.  Stir into soup.  Cook slow and stir until thick.  Add remaining seasonings and clams. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve with oyster crackers.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may like:

Beef Stew

French Onion Soup

Beef Stew

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

I have a confession... I do not own a Crockpot. You would think that I would have one sitting next to my mixer, but I don't. Whenever I make something that takes a long period of time to cook, it's always on the stove.

I had a craving for stew yesterday and started searching around for recipes and funny enough, most of them were made in a Crockpot.  I had a few ideas and started cooking away.  It seemed to be missing something and I had no clue what it was. I was on the phone with my mother and she was the savior of the stew (my mother didn't think I'd give her credit and here it is). She asked me if I had red wine and if I did, add some to it. It was exactly what it needed.  Thank you Mom - see I do listen sometimes.  This serves about 3 servings - enough for dinner for two and lunch for tomorrow.

Beef Stew

1 1/4 lb. top round stewed beef - cut into 1" chunks
1 tbsp. canola oil
2 c. beef broth
1 c. water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp. Gravy Master
1/4 c. red wine (I used Merlot)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 box frozen pearl onions
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c. cold water
2 tbsp. flour

In a 4 qt. Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add beef and cook for 15 minutes, until sides are browned.  Add broth, water, bouillon cubes, Gravy Master ,wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. 

Add carrots, onions and potatoes.  Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Pour water and flour into a covered container. Shake until mixed. Add mixture to stew and stir constantly.  Heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir for 1 minute until thickened.

Enjoy!


If you liked this, you may like:

French Onion Soup

Beans in Stew Habichuelas Guisadas

Apple Crisp for Two

Monday, October 19, 2009

I find it very hard to find a recipe that is just for two people. I love to cook and love to eat what I cook but after the third night of reheats, it gets a little tiring. Lately, I've been going thru my recipes and am trying to scale down my recipes to two servings. One example of a recipe would be Apple Crisp. My husband loves Apple Crisp but by the 3rd day, gets thrown in the garbage. I played around with my Apple Crisp recipe and instead of using a pie plate, I baked it in a loaf pan and it came out terrific.


Apple Crisp for Two

2 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp. orange juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Dash salt
3 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and slice apples. Place apples in a buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Pour orange juice over apples (this will keep apples from turning brown). In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well combined. Cut in butter, until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream and whipped cream.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may like:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Mini Cheesecakes

Monkey Bread

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I was asked to come up with some kind of dessert that was 'chocolatey' and 'fun'.  After doing some research, I came up with my own version of Monkey Bread.   This is a great dessert or something to eat in the morning with your coffee. It's also kid friendly to make - they can roll the dough into balls and dip them in the butter and sugar.

Monkey Bread


Dough
4 tbsp. warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 tbsp. sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
3 c. flour
6 tbsp. sugar
Dash of salt
5 tbsp. butter, room temperature
5 eggs, room temperature


Topping
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cocoa


Pour 1 tbsp. sugar and yeast on top of the water and set in a warm place until mixture begins to foam.  Add flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until all is completely blended.  Add two eggs and the yeast mixture and mix well.  Add the remaining eggs one at a time and mix until dough becomes spongy.  Knead dough for about 10 minutes on a floured surface. Place dough in a well greased bowl and roll dough around in bowl to grease all sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise for about 1 -1 1/2 hrs. until dough has doubled in size.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a bundt pan.  Melt butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and cocoa. Take dough and knead again for about 5 minutes. Shape dough into balls  - about 2" in diameter and set aside. Roll dough in the butter and then in the sugar mixture. Place balls in bundt pan forming a layered 'ring'.  Cover with a towel and let rise for about 15 minutes. Bake in 350 degrees oven for about 45-50 minutes. Remove bread from pan while still warm.


Your finished product:

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may like:

Pumpkin Bread


Mini Cheesecakes

Mini Cheesecakes

Monday, October 12, 2009

As we all know, Thanksgiving is around the corner. This year, my mother and I have split the holidays - she gets Thanksgiving and I'm in charge of Christmas. This will be the first major holiday that I'm doing so I'm a little nervous. I thought the smart thing to do is to try things out before the holidays and I picked dessert first.  I've always wanted to try to make mini cheesecakes and thought that this was the perfect opportunity.

Mini Cheesecakes

2 packages Keebler Ready Crust Mini Graham Cracker Pie Crust
2 packages (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed, until fluffy.  Add sugar, cornstarch and vanilla; beat until combined.  Add eggs one at a time until mixed thoroughly. Stir in sour cream.

Place mini pie crusts on a cookie sheet.  Pour mixture into each crust.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes and then place in fridge. Chill for at least 3 hours and serve.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may enjoy:

Pumpkin Cookies with Walnuts

Pumpkin Bread

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Baked Stuffed Shrimp with Crabmeat

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our third wedding anniversary.  I always try to make something special for a day of celebration. He loves my baked stuffed shrimp so I surprised him with it last night. It's very simple to make and is quite tasty.

Baked Stuffed Shrimp with Crabmeat

1 lb. extra jumbo shrimp
7 tbsp. butter
1 shallot
8 oz. fresh lump crabmeat
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. parmesan/romano cheese
1 c. whole milk mozzarella cheese; divided
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. white wine
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 beaten egg
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shell and devein shrimp.  Butterfly shrimp and set aside. Rinse crabmeat and pick thru to remove any remaining shells.

In a large frying pan, melt 4 tbsp.of butter over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Turn heat down to low and add mayo, parm/romano cheese, 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, white wine, heavy cream, egg,  lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper. Stir over low heat until all is mixed.

Place shrimp in a butter greased lasagne pan.  Put about a tablespoon of crabmeat stuffing in each shrimp.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and paprika on shrimp. Melt remaining 3 tbsp. butter and drizzle over each shrimp. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until stuffing is golden brown.

Serve with pasta.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may enjoy:

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Garlic

Shrimp Scampi

Pumpkin Cookies with Walnuts

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Fall is officially here. For me, it is the beginning of baking season.  I was feeling inventive this afternoon and came up with this little brainstorm. I thought it would be nice to surprise my hubby with some cookies when he came home from work. I was praying that these would not be a complete disaster but it was the opposite. These were the best cookies I've ever made.

Pumpkin Cookies with Walnuts

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and butter with mixer. Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg. Mix, scraping side of bowl until well combine. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Add flour mixture to wet mixture, mixing well, scraping sides of bowl.

Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoons on cookie sheet. Add walnuts to top of cookies. Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Drizzle glaze on cookie with spoon and let sit on wire rack until glaze is dried.  Recipe for glaze to follow.

Recipe for Glaze

1 c. confectionary sugar
3 tbsp. milk

Whisk until completely mixed.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may enjoy:

Pumpkin Bread

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Quiche Lorraine

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I think Bruce Feirstein got it wrong, real men DO eat quiche.  I'm pretty sure that if you tell a man that you're making something with bacon in it for dinner, they will eat whatever you make. This quiche is great to serve as brunch or if you want to do breakfast for dinner.

Quiche Lorraine

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 9" pie plate with butter. Unroll pie crust in pie plate and decorate edge, if desired.

Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. When cool, crumble bacon. Add bacon and cheese to pie crust.

In large bowl, whisk eggs.  Add heavy cream, salt and pepper and mix well. Pour into pie crust over bacon and cheese. Place pie plate on a foil covered cookie sheet to catch any overflow.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325 and bake for about 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

If you liked this, you may enjoy:

Breakfast Strada

Breakfast Potatoes

Uncle Richie's Salsa

Friday, September 25, 2009

We were at my Aunt Terry's and Uncle Richie's a few weeks ago and we had the best salsa I've ever eaten. It had just the right amount spice and was just... perfect!  I was lucky enough to get the recipe and am proud to share it with you. Thanks Uncle Richie!

Uncle Richie's Salsa

1 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
3 small jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine tomatoes, peppers and onion in food processor and process until desired consistency. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Process again to mix. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 4 cups.

When working with the jalapenos, you can keep as many seeds or as few seeds, depending on how hot you want it. Just remember, the more seeds you keep, the hotter the salsa.

Enjoy!

If you like this, you may like:

Beef Fajitas

Simple Garlic Dip