Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sugar Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 1/4 cups granualted sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (you may need a bit more salt if you use unsalted butter)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Wilton's sparkling white sugar crystals
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 365^F.  Grease cookie sheets.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla, lemon extract and egg and beat until well combined.  Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt and flour until well combined. 

Combine the granulated sugar, sugar crystals and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball and then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated.  Place on cookie sheets about 2-inches apart and flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass to about 1/4-inch thick.  Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

These are delicious!  They taste like the sugar cookies from my childhood.  Nice and chewy in the middle and crunchy around the edges.  Yum!

Adapted from the Sugar Cookie recipe at King Arthur Flour.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Spicy Turkey Spaghetti

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp roasted cumin
4 oz Velveeta, cut into small cubes
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
1 lb spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, cooked and drained
8 oz shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 can French Fried Onions, crushed

Preheat oven to 350^F.  Spray a 9x13" baking dish.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan and heat until the Velveeta melts.  Stir in the cooked turkey and the the cooked spaghetti until well combined.  Pour into the baking dish and top with the shredded Cheddar.  Bake 20 minutes.

Top with the crushed onions, return to the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes. 

Yum! 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Cajun Honey Roasted Turkey Breast

1 whole thawed turkey breast (about 6-7 lbs)
Salt
5 Tbsp softened butter
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
3+ tbsp honey
4 slices bacon
1 really big onion, cut into 8ths

Preheat oven to 325^F.

Combine the butter, cajun seasoning, thyme and 3Tbsp honey in a small bowl until well mixed.

Wash the turkey breast and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt all over it and place on a rack in a roasting pan.  Spread half the honey butter between the skin and the meat and then smear the rest all over the outside of the breast.  Drizzle with a little more honey and then lay the bacon strips over the top.

Roast at 325^F for 2.5 hours or until completely cooked through. 

Very good!  Nice and juicy!

Sweet Potato Pie 2012

2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 - 3"x 5" potatoes)
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dash allspice
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Drizzle of pure maple syrup (maybe 1 Tbsp)
1/4 cup Praline liqueur
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 pie shells, thawed

Preheat oven to 425^F. 

Prick the bottom and sides of the the thawed crusts with a fork and bake for about 6 minutes.  Let cool.

Combine the potatoes, butter, sugars, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined.  Add evaporated milk, maple syrup, liqueur, eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Pour into the pie shells and swirl the top with a spatula (it's just not a good pie without those little peaks on top!)

Bake at 425^F for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350^F (don't open the oven!) and bake another 45 minutes or until the pie is set in the middle. 

Remove from the oven and cool. 

Yum!!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
32 oz carton beef broth
32 oz bag frozen cubed or shredded hash browns
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
2+ cups milk

In a large soup pot, brown beef and crumble chuck with onion, celery, carrots, basil and parsley.  Drain if necessary (I used really lean meat and actually had to add a teensy bit of olive oil).  Add broth and hash browns (I only used about 3/4 of the bag - personal choice!), bring to a boil and simmer 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour and water in a small bowl until smooth.  Stir into soup.  Simmer and then add the cheese, stirring until it melts.  Add milk, according to desired amount of creaminess you prefer.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

This was really good soup!  From e-Meals. 

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs lean beef chuck or round, cut into 1-inch cubes
Garlic Salt & Pepper
About 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 cup Marsala
1 packet McCormick's Beef Stew seasoning mix
32-oz carton low sodium beef broth
2-3 cups water
4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables


Heat the oil and 2 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven.  Season the beef cubes with garlic salt and pepper and then toss them in the flour to coat.  Brown in hot oil in batches (don't over crowd) and remove to a plate. 

After all the meat has been browned, saute the onion in the same pot (add remaining tablespoon of
 butter if necessary) for about 3 minutes.  Add the celery and continue cooking another 3 or 4 minutes, stirring to scrape up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.  Stir in the Marsala and cook about 5 minutes.  Stir in beef stew seasoning mix, beef broth and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Once the beef is nice and tender, add the carrots and cook about 10 minutes, then add the potatoes and cook another 10 minutes or so.  Add the mixed veggies and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are done.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve with biscuits.  Yum!



Sunday, November 18, 2012

KAF's Smooth and Spicy Pumpkin Pie

I decided to experiment with a Pumpkin Pie today.  I've never personally made one in all my years of baking!  My family prefers Sweet Potato Pie (at least for the last 4 generations!) so that's what we always have for Thanksgiving.  When I impulsively decided to mix this one up, I have to admit I was worried at the amount of milk in the recipe.  It looks more like soup than a pie filling!  My husband, who grew up on Pumpkin Pies, even looked a little concerned when he wandered into the kitchen for a glass of iced tea.  He became a convert to Sweet Potato Pie the first year we were together and he LOVES them!  He said, "I hope it tastes like your Sweet Potato Pie", cocked his eyebrow doubtfully at the bowl, and then wandered back out of the kitchen.  He's cute. 

KAF's Smooth and Spicy Pumpkin Pie

a single 9" pie crust (I used a deep dish pie shell from the freezer)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (the whole 15-oz can!)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
12-ounce can evaporated milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Thaw the pie crust if you don't make your own. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves nutmeg, ginger, salt, and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin, corn syrup and evaporated milk.  Let stand for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.  Never heard of  doing this for a pie before, but I'm game.  Actually, the recipe said you could allow it meld overnight in the fridge but that just won't work for impulsive pie makers!  I decided to give it 45 minutes. 

While the pumpkin mixture is melding, make sure you have one oven rack in the lowest position and another in the middle.  Preheat the oven to 450^ F. 

When your melding time is up, beat 2 eggs and whisk them into the pumpkin mixture.  Pour into the pie shell (you definitely need a deep dish shell!  or maybe a 10" crust!)  Cover the edges with foil or those handy dandy crust shields and place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then move the pie to the middle shelf and reduce the heat to 350^F.  Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out moist, but clean.  The temperature in the center should be 175^ if you want to test it. 

Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature (or chill it) until you're ready to serve. 

My opinion:  This is a very tasty pie, not too sweet, maybe a little too much nutmeg.  However, it's not as good as a Sweet Potato Pie.  John agrees.  It's not as dense or flavorful as Sweet Potato. 


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Trisha's Pecan Pie

Trisha's Pecan Pie

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, thawed (or homemade pastry)
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325^F.

In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs until creamy.  Add the chopped pecans, melted butter, milk, flour and vanilla and stir to combine.  Pour into the pie shell.  Arrange the pecan halves on top of the pie in a circular pattern.

Bake the pie for 55 minutes.  Check for doneness by shaking the pan slightly.  The pie should be firm with only a slight jiggle in the center.  It will set more as it cools. 

Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

I saw this recipe on the Thanksgiving section of foodnetwork.com and since I've always been a Trisha Yearwood fan, I could not resist trying it!  This pie is fabulous!