Pecan Shortbread for a Sunny Sunday Morning

I recently went to visit my Grandma and she reminded me how much I love these shortbread cookies.  The recipe below is a slight variation of my Grandma's recipe.  As an added bonus, they will make your house smell amazing while they bake.  They taste great with coffee.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg (separated)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 cup pecans finely chopped (or almond slices for almond shortbread)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Cream butter and sugar in mix master.  Add 1 egg yolk and mix to combine.  Slowly stir in cinnamon and flour until combine. 

Spread dough evenly onto a 10 X 15 inch ungreased jelly roll pan.  Brush egg white evenly over top of dough.  Cover with chopped pecans. 

Bake for 22-27 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut into slices while hot.  Enjoy!

Fresh Mint Brownies and Frango Mint Brownies, I am all about Options

Mint Brownies

I am a strong proponent of the argument, "You can never have too much of a good thing."  That's why I am giving two of my favorite Mint Brownie recipes below.

Fresh Mint Brownies, a Cure to April Showers

I have an out of control sweet mint plant that comes back every year bigger and better than the year before...so, I have been inventing new uses for sweet mint.  These are a fun brownie to make in the Spring/Summer and serve with ice cream and hot fudge!  I love sundae bars and these brownies definitely are a great addition.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp. fresh sweet mint finely chopped (use regular mint if sweet mint unavailable)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 oz. Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Melt butter over medium heat in saute pan.  Add mint and saute 30 seconds. 

Add chocolate and cook until chocolate is melted and fully combined stirring constantly.

Set aside to cool.  In medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla. 

Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine. 

Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.  Pour into a greased 8X8 inch cake pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until done.  Let cool for 5 minutes at least before slicing.  Goes great with ice cream, hot fudge or whipped cream, or simply serve by itself.

If you want to make more, simply double the recipe and bake in a 13X9 inch pan.

Frango Mint Brownies, a Cure to ANYTHING

So these are phenomenal and so easy!  They make great Christmas gifts!  They speak for themselves, just make them.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 oz. Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
15 Frango Mint Chocolates chopped (I suppose you could use other mint chocolates, but as a Chicago native I refuse to stray from Frangos)

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Melt butter over medium heat in saute pan. Add chocolate and cook until chocolate is melted and fully combined stirring constantly. Set aside to cool. In medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined.   Add chopped Frango mints.  Pour into a greased 8X8 inch cake pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Let cool for 5 minutes at least before slicing. Goes great with ice cream, hot fudge or whipped cream, or simply serve by itself.

If you want to make more, simply double the recipe and bake in a 13X9 inch pan.

Hearty Home-style Chicken and Vegetable Casserole for a Rainy Spring Weekend

This is one of my favorite quick and easy hearty home-style meals. It makes me want to curl up by a fire and read a good book. I make variations of this dish at my dinner parties regularly and it is always a big hit. Plus, it’s a great way to get anyone to eat their vegetables! It reheats well and can be made ahead (no more than 1 day) and baked later. If you want to make a slightly healthier version, then just add one can of soup only and 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream. As I said, I "mess with", "tinker", "alter" (you pick the adjective) this recipe on a constant basis and its hard to screw up. Some of my recommended variations appear below. If you try a different version, let me know!

Ingredients:
Homemade Apple Cranberry Pork Sausage Stuffing Recipe (or if you are in a hurry, one package STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix, I like the cornbread flavor, but chicken or turkey works too)

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 (10-3/4 oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (or for a healthier version, 1 can soup plus 1/2 cup low fat sour cream)

1 (16 oz.) package frozen vegetables (mixed carrot, peas, corn and green beans)

1/2 (16 oz.) package of frozen broccoli florets (or you can simply add 8 oz. more of the frozen vegetables if you aren't a broccoli fan)

1 tsp. red pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make Homemade Apple Cranberry Stuffing according to recipe, but do not bake in oven, set aside. If you are making the Stove Top Stuffing mix, simply follow directions on the box and set aside.

Pour condensed soups into a large casserole dish (at least 13 X 9 inches). Add pepper and mix. Add chicken and mix. Add frozen vegetables and broccoli and mix. Casserole will be full. Cover evenly with stuffing. Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes until done. Serve hot.

Variations:

Replace stuffing with a sheet of pie crust. If using a premade pie crust, simply open the pie crust and place over the 13 X 9 inch casserole dish before baking. Cut off excess on edges and place on top of areas where you can see the casserole. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until crust is light brown and chicken is fully cooked. My homemade pie crust recipe can be found here:  Grandma's Pie Crust. If using homemade pie crust, simply roll out one recipe of pie crust into an approximately 13X 9 inch rectangle and place atop casserole before baking.

Replace stuffing with cheese and bread crumbs or rice krispie or corn flake crumbs. Instead of the stuffing, bake the casserole sans stuffing covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. While the casserole is baking, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan. Then add one cup corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside. After the chicken casserole has been in the oven for 40 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven. Cover the casserole evenly with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more to your taste). Then cover casserole evenly with the prepared corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs. Put the casserole back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is fully cooked.

Another fun option is to replace the chicken bread with the shredded chicken from a fully cooked whole rotisserie chicken.  Baking time is reduced to 40-45 minutes.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole for My Warm Weather is Finally Here Dinner Party

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

I made this in March for a dinner party with friends and it was a big hit.  I got the idea from a pinterest pin, but altered the recipe to make it slightly healthier (albeit, its not great for you...but, it is so good).  As I always say, eat everything in moderation.

This is a picture of the casserole prior to being put in the oven.

Ingredients:
1 package bacon, diced
12-16 small-medium red potatoes or white potatoes cut in half (about 4 lbs; peeling optional)
4 oz. low fat cream cheese (1/2 a block)
1 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 stick butter
1 plus 1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste if necessary)
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup or more if desired diced fresh chives (I use fresh from my garden)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the diced bacon into a skillet and cook on medium heat until crispy.  When done, strain bacon and place on a plate covered in paper towels to drain.  Set aside.

While bacon is cooking, boil water for your potatoes (add one tsp. of salt to the water).  Once the water is boiling, add potatoes and cook on med-high to high heat until the potatoes are soft, about 20-35 minutes.  Drain potatoes.  In bowl combine, drained potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, 1/2 tsp. salt, black pepper and most of the chives (reserve about 1-2 Tbsp. for topping).   Mash potato mixture over low heat until butter is fully melted and mixture is creamy.  Add more salt or pepper to taste if necessary.  Spoon potato mixture into medium casserole dish.  Top with cheddar cheese, bacon and remaining chives.  Cook in preheated over for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

You can put this together ahead of time (at most a day ahead), refrigerate it, and then bake before serving.  If you make the dish ahead, do not bake until just before serving.  Cover casserole with aluminum foil.  Place covered casserole in a cold oven, set over to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until warmed through.

Peanut Butter Puppy Treats for a Spring Doggie Birthday

Spring Has Sprung,

Time for Puppy Treats for Oscar and Zoey's Birthday

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Raspberry or Strawberry Jelly; or Applesauce (feel free to substitute Apricot or Peach Jam, but remember the pits from peaches and apricots are poisonous to dogs; do not use grape jelly as grapes are bad for dogs)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients and mix to combine. Place 1/4 of dough at a time onto a sheet of wax paper and roll or pat out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet.  Use a dog bone shapped cookie cutter (or other cookie cutter of your choice) to cut out the treats.  Please onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 16 - 20 minutes until very lightly browned.  The bones do not spread much, if at all.  My dogs love these, hope yours do as well.

Oscar (left) and Zoey (right)