Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

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For years I have been on the hunt for a knock your socks off chocolate chip cookie recipe.  For myself and for Husband Man.  You see, Husband Man has a HUGE addiction to chocolate chip cookies. 

I have tried almost every recipe that I can get my hands on to see if it appeased him.  

One afternoon, my chocolate chip loving husband came home with the news that he had tried the homemade cookie of his dreams.  Apparently, one of his co-worker's wive's had made a batch for everyone in the shop.  Now, in the beginning of our marriage, news like this would have offended me.   But not this time.  When he told me the news, I looked right at him and said, "Do me a favor...if you say that this is the one...please find a way to get that recipe from his wife." 

Instead of letting it bother me, I was surprisingly relieved!  I have spent 8 years searching high and low for the perfect homemade cookie to make for this man.  I've tried at least 8 or 9 different recipes only to have my husband tell me they were either to sweet or not puffy enough or to flat, etc. 

He liked these cookies so much that he surprised me again.  A week or two later... he reached into his pocket and handed me a piece of paper.  I opened it up and low and behold....found the hand written recipe for these cookies! 

So...I decided to make them.  

And the verdict is....hers is the last and final chocolate chip cookie recipe I will make for my family.  Hers will be our go-to recipe.  At this point I am happy with this recipe and I do not plan on seeking out any other one's anytime soon.  As for my husband, he is in heaven right now :)  Just give him one of these cookies and a glass of milk and watch him flash that 100 watt smile :)

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening (we used butter flavored)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 (12 oz) package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces or miniature candy coated semisweet chocolate pieces

1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on Medium to High for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda.  Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour.  Stir in chocolate pieces and if desired, nuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet...or a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Pizza

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This is a great recipe.  I really should have renamed it "Newly Wed" Sun-Dried Pizza because this was one of the first meals I learned to make during my first year of marriage.  Sadly, it was also one of the first meals I ever messed up on.  The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh basil OR 2 teaspoons of dried basil.  Back then, I misread the recipe and ended up putting 2 tablespoons of dried basil.  I was mortified when my husband took his first bite and gave me this questionable look.  He asked me, "Is it supposed to have all this basil in it?"  We read the recipe together and realized that I overdid it on the basil.  I remember spending  the rest of the evening crying my poor eyes out because I couldn't make a simple recipe like pizza for my dear husband.  I have since learned from this mistake, and every time I make this pizza, my husband is in the kitchen...either supervising or reminding me of the proper measurements.  It's one of those "inside" jokes between us now :) 

This pizza is amazing.  And I think what makes it amazing is the use of all the herbs in it.  You have the cream cheese with chives and onions...then you have the basil and lastly, the oregano.  Keeping the cream cheese as the base of the pizza, you can add any topping you want...with the spices..and then top it off with the cheese.  This is not only a great recipe with a funny story tell in our house, but it's also a family favorite :)  Hopefully it will be yours too :)

Take your ready made pizza crust and spread the cream cheese topping all around.

Proceed to place the rest of the ingredients on the top...including the spices.

Top it all off with the cheeses.

Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

Yummm!! 

Results:

The Hubs:  Thumbs Up

Libby:  Thumbs Up

Our Three Year Old Daughter:  Definite Thumbs Up...with the toppings scalped..and requesting just cream cheese and cheese on it next time

Our One Year Old Son:  Thumbs Up...also with the toppings scalped

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Pizza

1 package (16 oz) ready to serve pizza crust

1/2 a container of soft cream cheese with chives and onions

1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced (OR half a can of stewed tomatoes)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves OR 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves OR 1-2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place pizza on ungreased cookie sheet.  Spread the cream cheese on the top.  Top with tomatoes, oregano, and basil.  Sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Cut into wedges and serve.

**We like to also use pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, and provolone cheese as other toppings**

Melanie's Texas Beef Skillet

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I snagged this recipe from my local online Military Spouse group many moons ago.  The woman who submitted the recipe is such a wonderful lady.  She was one of the few who helped me adjust to life in this city and was a great help when it came to information about our local Air Force Base.  So if you are reading this Melanie (she's a Follower on Facebook) I want to give a shout out to ya just to say "thanks" for helping me all those years ago :)  

BTW....I have quite a few recipes that I plan to post from fellow Military Wives who I have had the pleasure of meeting over the years. I have already posted two from my dear friend, Courtney, who is also a Military Wife :)  Now it's Melanie's turn :) 

This recipe is wonderful.  I like to describe it as a mix between chili and Mexican Hamberger Helper (if there is such a thing) with cheese thrown in for good measure.  The Frito's are great too and add such a great taste of saltiness to the dish.  Such a great meal to make if you are wanting something different to eat on some nights.  The next time I make this, I think I'm going to top my serving off with a little bit of sour cream :)  Yummmm!

Texas Beef Skillet

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 can (16 oz) chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15.2 oz) red kidney beans, undrained

1 cup quick cooking rice (we use regular rice already cooked and it works just as well)

1 cup water

3 tbsp. chopped green pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic salt or 1 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Crushed Frito's (about 1 and 1/2 cups)

In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion till meat is browned and onion is tender.  Drain off the fat. 

Stir in the undrained tomatoes, undrained beans, rice, water, green peppers,

chili powder, salt, and garlic salt/powder. 

Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Top with cheese. 

Cover and heat about 3 minutes or till cheese melts. 

Sprinkle corn chips around edge (we like to sprinkle them all over). 

My Girl Paula~Crispy Rice Candy Corn Treats

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This week for My Girl Paula, we made her Crispy Rice Candy Corn Treats.  This is basically just your regular rice krispy treats with candy corn inside :)  I loved this recipe!  I think it is because of these little babies below:

When I sent my husband out to the store to buy the ingredients for these, he came back with a sad face and said that all they had were these Gourmet Pumpkin Spice Candy Corns.  He told me that he couldn't find regular candy corn.  I found it funny that after 8 years being married to the man, he forgot how much I love to improvise if need be.  And for this recipe, I had to. 

Of course, being the big kid at heart that he is, he didn't waste anytime opening this box.  He said he wanted to try this new "found flavor" of candy corn.  Well..one look at his face after he took his first bite said it all.  He wasn't impressed with them one bit.  He said he enjoyed the regular candy corn better.  I took the plunge and decided to eat one also, and found them to taste a little on the spicy side.  But why would they taste any different?  After all, they are gourmet styled candy :)  One bite into one and you were defnitely able to tell that they were different. 

Anyway...despite how they tasted...I forged ahead with the plan to make this recipe with them.  I am sooooo glad I did because the extra spice added just the right amount of "kick" to these treats.  I LOVED them!  I made them after my husband went to work so I will not see his reaction until tomorrow morning when he gets home.  He wanted me to make half of the treats with the candy and make another half without them.  Being the foodie that I am, I refused to make it that way...lol.  Instead I only used 1/2 cup of the candy instead of 1 whole cup.  It worked :)  I seriously think that if I did use 1 whole cup like the recipe suggested, it would have been wayyyy to spicy for my taste. 

Update on 10-20-09:  My husband came home from work this morning, tried them, and absolutely loved them as well.  I caught him snacking on them throughout the day :)

Spray a 9x13 inch baking or casserole dish with Pam.  Also spray a plastic spatula.  Melt your butter in a big pot. After it's melted, add your salt, vanilla, and marshmallows. 

Stir constantly until the marshmallows are melted and forms a smooth consistency.

Add in your cereal and candy. The original recipe says to transfer your marshmallows over to the bowl of cereal, but I have made rice krispie treats before and I know that adding the cereal into the pot is a little easier :)

Stir until combined and place them in your greased 9x13 inch pan.  I had to use a piece of parchment paper to straighten and flatten it all out due to the stickiness of the melted marshmallows.

Let them cool before cutting them into squares and serving.

Yummmmy!!

For this recipe, click here:  Crispy Rice Candy Corn Treats.

Do you love making recipes from the Queen of Butter?  If you do, why not check out My Girl, Paula

and consider joining?  We'd love to have you :)

Aunt Ruthie's Pumpkin Bars

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Please excuse the picture above.  My husband practices photography in his spare time and he was "experimenting" with this dessert.  When I asked him where the other half of the picture went, he said he did that on purpose.  Why?  I do not know.  I'm sure it's one of those reasons only known to photographers...lol.  In any event, what you can see in the picture gives you an idea of what these bars look like.

This recipe is another one from Aunt Ruthie.  If any of you have time, go check out her website at Sugar Pie Farm House.  The ladies on there are so wonderful and Aunt Ruthie is such a sweet heart. 

I must say though, these bars are AWESOME!!  I made them with the Homemade Pumpkin Puree that I made a little while back and it hit the spot.  The freshness of the pumpkin mixed with the sugar, cinnamon, and cake mix is what makes this dish so delicious.  My 1 and 1/2 year old cannot get enough of this.  Neither can my husband and I.  My daughter, however, refused to try it.  She is the picky one in our family :)  This makes a whole casserole full so I will be sending half of it to my husband's work on Monday.  I am sure those single Airmen will enjoy gobbling it up :) 

So yes...my recommendation....go out...buy the ingredients...and make this during this holiday season.  Heck, why not make it now??  This week.  I dare you :)  And report back to me what you thought of it :) 

Mix the first 6 ingredients until creamed.  It will look liquidy and that's ok.

Place the mixture in a 9x13 greased casserole or baking dish.

Drizzle all of the cake mix ontop.

Sprinkle the pecans and the 2 sticks of butter ontop of the cake mix.  Yes...I said 2 sticks of butter :)  Our Paula Deen would be very proud :)

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  Cool before serving. 

This recipe is definitely going ot be filed in my holiday recipe collection!  Give it a try :) 

Aunt Ruthie's Pumpkin Bars

15 oz. can pumpkin (or a little over a 1 cup and 1/2 if you are using homemade pumpkin)

12 oz. can evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

For The Topping:

1 package yellow butter cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)

Mix the first six ingredients until creamed. Pour into greased 13x9 glass baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with dry cake mix. Add pecans and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool, before serving.

Courtney's Swiss Chicken

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This recipe was given to me by my friend, Courtney. I have made this chicken recipe once before and it really is great comfort food! The recipe calls for 6 chicken breasts, but we only had 3 on hand, so I just halved the rest of the ingredients.  I love this dish because it's so quick and easy.  And in our house, quick and easy meals are sometimes what is needed.

Place the chicken breasts in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam.

Top each breast with a slice of Swiss Cheese. 

Mix your Cream of Chicken and milk together in a bowl and drizzle it on top of the chicken.

 Top with the stuffing, then drizzle the melted butter on top.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Super easy and delicious!  As you can see, we had ours with a side of veggies and rice :)

Swiss Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts
6 slices of swiss cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
2 cups herb stuffing
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange chicken in a greased 12x8x2 baking dish. Top with swiss cheese slices.
Combine soup and milk mixture and stir well. Spoon mixture over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over chicken. Melt butter and drizzle butter over stuffing. Cover and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Stay tuned for my recipe for Aunt Ruthie's Pumpkin Bars. Trust me...you're not gonna want to miss that :)

Thunderstorm Caramel Sticky Buns

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These were SUPER yummy!  Believe it or not, I found the recipe on the back of the package that the rolls came in.  The only gripe I have is that the rolls didn't "rise or puff" up a lot.  They were a little flat.  No doubt about it though, they were wonderful to eat.  I'll never forget making these either.  While I was making the topping for it, a hurrendous thunderstorm swept through our area and our power ended up going out.  Luckily, we have a gas stove/oven so I continued on with making them.  The aroma of cinnamon buns filled the quiet and rainy air as they baked.  For those 18 minutes, all we could do as a family was literally "savor" the smell of these buns.  Then, as soon as they were finished, the power came back on and the whole house was filled with electronic noise once again.  It was definitely a memory I will never forget :)

Thunderstorm Caramel Sticky Buns (adapted from Pilsbury)
For the Topping:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

For the Buns:
3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 can Flaky Layer refrigerated biscuits

Heat oven to 375°F. In ungreased 8-inch round pan, place 1/4 cup butter; heat in oven 3 to 4 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until well blended. Sprinkle with pecans.
In small bowl, place 3 tablespoons melted butter. In another small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Dip biscuits into melted butter to coat all sides; dip into sugar mixture, coating well. Arrange biscuits, sides touching, over topping in pan.
Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; turn upside down onto heatproof serving plate. Let pan remain 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls. Serve warm.

Aunt Ruthie's Buttermilk Pie-Mess Up #2

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Pie, pie, pie.  Where shall I begin??  Making pies is an art that I am still trying to perfect.  Pie making is something that requires lots of practice, at least in my case it does..lol. 

The pie above is "supposed" to look like the one in this post: Sister Lizzie's Southern Buttermilk Pie.

As a matter of fact, I obtained the recipe for this from the link above.  I don't know how many of you have heard about Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farm House, but I just love that site to death!  This recipe came from Aunt Ruthie herself :)  And before anyone says anything, yes...this is a "summer" recipe...lol.  I wanted to make it though because I had some frozen buttermilk that needed to be used and also some frozen left over pie crust from when I made this recipe, Sour Cream Apple Pie.

Well....note to self...make sure the frozen pie crust is completely defrosted before even attempting to make a pie...lol.  Also...note to self...if I ever make this recipe again (which I will because despite how it looks, it really was d-e-l-i-s-h) make sure the butter is completely cooled before making it.  And lastly, make sure to turn the oven temp. down a few degrees or else it will end up buring the pie....resulting in the picture above. 

All in all, despite the burtness (is that even a word?) and the uncooled butter, I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves buttermilk pie.  Just remember to also use the original recipe for pie crust that is stated in the post.  My pie crust was a little to thin and there wasn't enough of it to cover the pie plate. 

Other then that,
have fun baking :)

Homemade Pumpkin

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I hope everyone had a nice Columbus Day weekend :)  My family and I spent it just relaxing around the house...being lazy.  I rounded up my kids once again and decided that I would teach them how to make our own homemade pumpkin puree.  Honestly, I had no clue how simple and easy it was to make your own pumpkin puree.  But now that I know, I will never go back to using canned pumpkin :)

 I had heard through a little birdie that Libby's (not me...but the factory that produces those wonderful cans of pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling) was having a shortage on canned pumpkin.  I'm not sure how true that rumor is because I ended up purchasing 4 big cans of pumpkin from the store the other day.  Alas, I still wanted to learn how to make my own because...well...I love making anything homemade.  Needless to say, we have pumpkin coming out from everywhere now in our house! 

I also want to thank my friend, Susan, for telling me how she makes her own pumpkin. I took Susan's advice, followed the instructions from a post of another well known cooking blog, and before I knew it our own pumpkin puree was done :)

Take notes because once you see how super easy this is, you may never want to go back to purchasing canned pumpkin again :) 

Step 1:  We start with 2 regular sized baking pumpkins.  I found these at our local grocery store in the produce section.  Do not use the huge pumpkins in the stores.  The one's that you need are called "sugar" pumpkins or "pie pumpkins" and they are usually the little one's that are on display. 

Step 2:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the pumpkins in a casserole dish and roast them for 35-40 minutes.  This is to soften up that rough outer layer so it will be easier to cut.  When it comes out of the oven, it should have a little brown tint to them and come out shining like a brand new penny.  Let them cool.

Step 3:  After they have cooled, rip out the stem and cut the pumpkin in half.

Step 4:  Scoop out the yucky stringy stuff and seeds.  If you like toasted or roasted pumpkin seeds, you can save them for that :)  Cut the hollow and gutted pumpkin halves into fourths and place them on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray.  Be sure to place pieces cut side down.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Step 5:  Once out of the oven, let them cool.  You can tell if they're done by sticking a fork in them.  If the fork goes through without any difficulty, then they are done.  The bottoms should be mushy and soft.  Once cooled, scoop out the mushy part of each piece and collect it in a bowl. 

Step 6:  After all the pumpkin is collected in bowl, use a food processor, potato masher, or even a fork to break up the big chunks and get that perfect mashed consistency.  If the pumpkin looks to thick, you can add 1/4 cup water to the bowl to thin it out. 

Place in ziplock bags and freeze.  I froze mine in 2 cup measurements for baking purposes.

And presto....you have your very own stash of pumpkin puree!  Easy peasy! 

Yummm!  I can't wait to start using this in the recipes I have planned to make :)

For more information on making your own pumpkin puree, click here Our Best Bites-Homemade Pumpkin

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

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This is a really great recipe to make if you are having people over or if you have kids.  My daughter goes to preschool and once a month, the parents are assigned to bring in snacks for the kids.  I usually make Monkey Munch for her class, but she is in a new class this year, with new teachers and new kids.  Because of this, we learned some of the kids have peanut allergies.  I put on my thinking cap and quickly tried to figure out what to make for a class of twelve 3-year olds that didn't require peanut butter.

I don't know how many of you have ever attended a Taste of Homes Cooking Show, but this recipe came from the show I attended last month. It was perfect for my daughter's class and so easy to make :) One taste of this yummy snack and it really will remind you of a snickerdoodle cookie :)

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix 

(serves 15)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal 

2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal 

4 cups popped popcorn 

1/4 cup butter or margarine 

1.  In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and popcorn. 

2.  In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. 

3.  Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Recipe Source:  Taste of Home Cooking School