Gingerbread Drops

 

This recipes comes from a booklet: Better Homes and Gardens “Cookies for Santa”. It's great if you're looking for a Christmas cookie recipe that doesn't need rolling and cutting and frosting (and don't have room for that as I didn't for many years). But I might make the cookies a bit bigger than suggested because I've never gotten 90 cookies - more like 4 1/2 dozen. Last night I got 50. Also, I've always used butter and not shortening and last night I used dark brown sugar as that's what I had open - I don't think it matters.

1 cup shortening

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

⅓ cup molasses

2 eggs

1 Tbsp milk

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Beat till well combined.  Beat in molasses, eggs, and milk till combined.  Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

2.  Bake in a 375* oven about 8 minutes or till bottoms are lightly browned.  Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool.  Makes about 90.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 A number of years ago the boyfriend found a page with about a dozen cookie recipes on it.  This recipe came from Serious Eats, however the site no longer has this recipe (at least not when I looked this holiday season to send it to a friend).  I'm so glad I had it printed out so I could make it again the day after new year's.   Anyhow, if you're looking for a new way to make oatmeal raisin cookies, these could be for you.  Chai spices in the dry ingredients and the raisins steep in chai tea before being added to the dough.  So I'm adding the recipe here so it can be found again.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Abt 4 dozen cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup raisins

1 chai teabag

2 cups boiling water

Let chai tea steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard teabag. Let raisins steep in chai tea for 15 minutes, then drain.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. And flour mixture to sugar mixture in two additions, beating until just combined. Stir in oats and raisins. Let dough chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough in rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

One-Pan Garlic Chicken Pesto Pasta

 

Saw the video for this recipe and was immediately drawn in.  It looked fast and easy.  And it was!  The name of the recipe is a bit of a misnomer as you do need another pot to cook the penne pasta in.  I wasn't sure how the boyfriend would feel about the tomatoes since he doesn't like raw ones, but they cooked just enough when stirred in that he didn't mind them.

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch (2cm) strips
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• ½ tablespoon kosher salt
• ½ tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup pesto
• 3 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained
• ¾ cup cherry tomato, halved
• parmesan cheese, to garnish
• fresh basil, chopped, to garnish
• 
  
• Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Combine the chicken, garlic, salt, and pepper, cooking until chicken is browned.
• Then, mix in the heavy cream, parmesan, and pesto, stirring until evenly combined.
• Next, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce has reduced, about five to seven minutes.
• Toss in the pasta and cherry tomatoes, stirring until evenly coated. Remove from heat.
• To serve, sprinkle parmesan cheese and basil on top!
• Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Cheese Naan Pizza

 

This recipe comes from the package of naan I got from Aldi (brand "Specially Selected").  I had picked it up to go with the butter chicken simmer sauce I had also gotten from Aldi and had plenty leftover, so I thought we'd give this recipe a try.  It turned out great!  It might be my new favorite way to make a bit of pizza for us without the work of making and rolling out dough.  And it's quick!!

1/2 package Specially Selected(r) original naan (4 pack)

1/2 cup basil pesto sauce, homemade or store bought

3/4 shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grilled chicken breast, diced into small pieces

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced into small pieces

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400oF

2. Spread pesto sauce over both naan, bubble side up.  Add roasted red pepper and the diced grilled chicken breast.  Top with the mozzarella cheese, sliced black olives, chopped basil, salt, and pepper.

3. Place naan directly on the middle rack of preheated oven.  Cook for about 6-7 minutes or until toppings and naan are heated through and the cheese is fully melted and starting to brown.  Remove from oven, slice and serve.

Stuffed Pepper Enchilada Casserole

The boyfriend found this recipe a couple of weeks ago, just as I was thinking it was time for stuffed peppers (a co-worker has been gifting me with fresh peppers from her garden).  I made an Instant Pot version last week, but he really wanted to try this one.  He thinks I should have left the pepper pieces bigger since the pictures on the blog post show half peppers,  But I wanted it to be more bite size (but not diced).  Also, he would have liked some chicken or beef in it, but be warned, it makes a lot as written.  I also left out the cilantro as he gets the soapy taste from it. Also, I used a whole packet of taco seasoning and didn't bother with the homemade version.

• 16 ounces low fat cream cheese 2 packages
• ▢1 ounce Taco Seasoning Click for Homemade Recipe!
• ▢15 ounces can corn, drained and rinsed
• ▢15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢15 ounces can diced tomatoes, drained
• ▢4.5 ounces can chopped green chiles
• ▢3 tablespoons red enchilada sauce
• ▢¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
• ▢4 cups cooked white rice
• ▢2 green bell peppers chopped into large pieces, seeds removed
• ▢2 red bell peppers chopped into large pieces, seeds removed
• ▢1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided
• ▢1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese divided
• ▢diced tomatoes and cilantro for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a large bowl, heat the cream cheese in the microwave for 30-40 seconds or until softened. Mix in the taco seasoning, corn, beans, tomatoes, chiles, enchilada sauce, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Stir in the rice and ½ cup of each of the cheeses until fully combined. Set aside.
• Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray. I used a 10” round dish, but you can also use a 9×13.
• Start by making a layer of the green peppers along the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the rice mixture, and use a spoon to smooth out as much as possible.
• Layer in the red peppers and top with last half of the rice mixture. Top with the remaining ½ cup of each of the cheeses and sprinkle with more cilantro.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted and the casserole is fully heated through.
• Remove from the oven and top with more cilantro and diced tomatoes. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

NOTES:

• This is a vegetarian version, but it’s also delicious with meat added in! Add in some browned hamburger or rotisserie chicken (about 1 ½ cups) for some extra flavor!
• To make this dish a bit healthier, you can scale back on the cheese. You can leave the shredded cheese out all together, or just add a sprinkle on top, up to you!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I made this years ago for a July 4th party with my friend and her family.  She absolutely adored it (to the point where she still talks about it and asks if I've made it lately).  I had planned to make it last year, but plans fell apart.  So this year when I was gifted with zucchini, I knew I had to get it done!  I had forgotten how easy this one was to make, even though I dirtied more dishes than I really needed to this time around.  I might even make it again this year (more zucchini!) and I'll try to not dirty as many dishes!

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate; beat well. Stir in the flour baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

• Step 3

  Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

One Pot Pasta dinner

The boyfriend saw this in an article he read and I followed the embedded link to Martha Stewart's page and watched her video on how to prepare.  The other one pot pasta dishes I have tried have not been something we want to repeat (they're not bad, just not quite the right flavors for us).  But this one was a hit.  Even though the boyfriend doesn't like raw tomatoes and he was a bit apprehensive about all of them in the dish.  But they cook down enough and make the sauce so you really don't notice them.  And I was apprehensive about the onion, but that also mellows out in the cooking process.  I cheated and used my microplane for the garlic since I can't slice it that thin.  And I cut the red pepper flakes way back since neither of us care that much for that kind of heat.  Make sure to use plenty of basil, and more basil as garnish!

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 12 ounces linguine
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 1/2 cups water
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

• Directions

  Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1

    Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.

  • Step 2

    Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.