Nakie Gingerbread Men & Women

Here is a recipe for gingerbread men/women that you can use you favorite icing to decorate!

Nakie Gingerbread Men/Women

Makes: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. Butter, Softened
• 3/4 c. Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/3 c. Molasses
• 1 Egg
• 2 T. Water
• 2 2/3 c. Flour
• 2 t. Ginger
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 1/2 t. each: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, and Cloves

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together until creamy and well mixed. Then add molasses, egg, and water. Once combined add, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Finally add in flour and mix well. 

Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface roll out half of the dough to 1/8 in thick. Cut in desired 4 in shapes. Place 2 in apart on a greased cookie sheet. 

Place in the oven for 6-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before decorating. AND ENJOY!

Fiber? What? Cookies with Fiber?

Oaty Oatmeal Cookies From the video

Makes: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. Flour
• 1/2 t. Baking Soda
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1 c. Oats
• 1 c. Brown Sugar
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1 c. Butter
• 2 T. Honey
• 2 t. Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 c. Raisins 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together. Then add honey, vanilla, and eggs. Once creamed add the rest of the ingredients minus the raisins. Then fold the raisins in.

Drop by spoonful onto an un-greased cookie sheet and place in the over for 12-14 minutes. AND ENJOY!

The VERY {Best} Lemon Cookies

I have been looking for a lemon cookie recipe and nothing has filled the void...until now! They are the most basic easy cookie to make and the only lemon part about them is the glaze. I am telling you, use pen and mark in your calendar to make them this holiday season, you won't be sorry! I have to say these may be my new favorite!

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 c. Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 3/4 c. Sugar
• 2 Large Egg Yolks
• 1/2 t. Vanilla 
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 2 c. Flour
• 1 c. Confectioners' Sugar
• 2 T. Lemon Juice (you may need a smidgen more)
• 1 t. Grated Lemon Zest

Directions: 

Cream butter and sugar together. Then add in egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Make sure it is well blended. Then add in the flour and mix just until it is all combined. 

Divide dough in half and wrap in wax paper in the shape of 2 in diameter logs. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until the dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cut the logs of dough into 1 in thick pieces and place them 2 in apart. Place in the oven for 12-16 minutes. 

To make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until the glaze is thick but still pourable. 

Once the cookies are completely cool, dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze. Allow 10 minutes for the glaze to dry completely. AND ENJOY!

Raspberry Sauce to Spruce UP Your Ice Cream

This is a super easy recipe to add flavor and nutrients (*cough* some vitamins *cough*) to your ice cream! It is also a recipe you can make a head and just leave in your refrigerator. 

Raspberry Sauce

Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. Raspberries, Unsweetened, Frozen
• 1/2 t. Cornstarch
• 2 T. Light Corn Syrup
• 1/2 Gallon Ice Cream

Directions:

In a small sauce pan combine raspberries, cornstarch, and corn syrup. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat; continue to boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat; then cool, and refrigerate until thickened. Serve over ice cream. AND ENJOY!

A New Take on Chicken Parmesan

This is a recipe for those who don't like to eat meat at every meal and are looking for some alternatives. This is a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. My first thought was is was going to taste like vegetables, but it as A LOT of flavor! Also, if you have never had eggplant before, this is a good recipe to test the waters.

Eggplant Parmesan

Yields: About 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Eggplants
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1/4 t. Pepper
• 1 1/2 c. Dry Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg, Slightly Beaten
• 28 oz. Tomato Sauce
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 t. Basil
• 4 T. Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 9 X 13 baking dish with butter. Wash eggplant and cut into 1/4 in. rounds. Do not peal the skin off. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat tomato sauce and garlic in a sauce pan. 

Dip rounds into bread crumbs then into egg then back into bread crumbs. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Fry eggplant rounds until tender and golden brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

Line the buttered baking dish with tomato sauce. Place a layer of eggplant over the sauce. Cover with mozzarella cheese, more sauce, a sprinkle of basil and parmesan cheese. Repeat until dish is full.

Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. AND ENJOY!

Pooch Treats

You can't forget about the puppies! Here is a recipe for dog treats.

Pooch Treats
Yields: About 2 Dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 c. Rolled oats
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 3/4 c. Milk
• 1 c. Peanut Butter
• 1 T. Blackstrap Molasses 

Directions: 

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly mix in milk, peanut butter, and molasses. 

Place on a floured surface and kneed till it all comes together. Then on the floured surface and roll the dough out 1/2 inch thick and cut into various shapes. 

Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Make sure the treats are completely cool before sharing with your dog. AND ENJOY!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Breakfast always seems to be a tough meal to make. This recipe is one of the easiest breakfast recipes out there!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Poblano Chilies
• 1 1/2 c. Mexican Cheese
• 4 Eggs, Beaten
• 1 c. Milk
• 1/2 c. Flour
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 1/2 t. Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Place peppers over an open flame and roast until the skin becomes black and burned. Rotate peppers until all sides are roasted. Place in a gallon ziplock bag to steam. Peel the burned skin off under cold running water. Be careful of hot steam. Remove the stems and seeds inside and tear into fourths. 

Place into a well greased 8X8 pan. Top with 1 cup of cheese. 

In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk. Once mixed add flour, baking powder, and cayenne pepper. Beat well with a mixer. Pour mixture over chilies and cheese. 

Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes (or until you insert a knife in the center and it comes out clean) Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and let it sit for 5 minutes. AND ENJOY!

Fall, Fall, We All Love Fall

Every season has their signature food or flavor that is the mascot. Pumpkins are everywhere around fall; carving pumpkins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie.. pretty much every food seems to have a pumpkin version this time a year. Thankfully there are benefits to pumpkin this.. and pumpkin that..

Ever wonder why pumpkins are the vibrant orange color they are? They get their color from carotenoids and when we consume pumpkin products it turns into vitamin A in our bodies. If you are one of those people who cannot read the menu in a dim restaurant because the lack of light, then vitamin is your new best friend. Vitamin A is responsible for vision health, particularly in regards to amount of lighting needed. 

With the change in seasons also comes change in weather. The bummer about the colder weather, is it seems to have a pestering follower...the flu. It is widely known that vitamin C is the main fighter when it comes to flu and usually that means drink up your O.J. However, when you are sitting down at the thanksgiving table have a slice of pumpkin pie you can easily justify pushing back the boundaries of darkness to eat that last piece, knowing you are also loading up on vitamin C. So in a round about way, by busting the button on your pants, you are saving yourself bed confinement and tissue over load. 

It seems with every new year comes millions of people setting their resolution to lose weight, well this year be ahead of the crowd! There is never one simple answer when it  comes to weight loss but one trick to eliminate calories is to consume more fiber. Fiber is a macronutrient that fills you up quicker and keeps you full longer. Lucky for us pumpkins are high in fiber. By adding pumpkin into a traditional dish you are increasing the nutrient value and saving yourself calories. 

We all love fall, and pumpkins...well now we do. Just remember pumpkins are more useful...they don't always just have to be carved. 

Zucchini Bread Turned Into Zucchini Cake

This recipe is for those who cannot stomach those overly sugared store bought cakes, that about make you diabetic after once bite! Trust me, this is a keeper!

Ingredients:

• 3 Eggs
• 1 c. Oil
• 2 c. Sugar
• 2 t. Vanilla
• 2 c. Grated Zucchini
• 3 c. Flour
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1/2 t. Baking Powder
• 1 t. Salt
• 1 t. Cinnamon
• 1/2 c. Chopped Nuts (Optional)
• 1 c. Dated (Optional)

Directions: (Just warning you now this recipe is a piece of "cake")

Preheat the over to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a bunt cake pan. Beat eggs and then cream in sugar, oil, vanilla, and zucchini. Add the remaining dry ingredients (including nuts and/or dates) and mix well. Pour into the greased and floured bunt pan and place in the oven for about an hour. At about 50 minutes stick a tooth pick in the cake and if it comes out clean it is done. AND ENJOY!

Swirl Sugar Cookies

Instead of the plain looking sugar cookies, change it up a bit! I chose to do pink but you can do any color you want.

Swirl Sugar Cookies

Yields: About 2 Dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1/2 t. Baking Powder
• 2 c. Flour
• Food Coloring 
• Sprinkles 

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together. Then add egg and vanilla. Once that is all mixed then add your remaining dry ingredients. Split the dough in half and place half of the dough between two sheets of wax paper. Add food coloring to the dough remaining in the mixer to your desired color.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle in-between the two sheets of wax paper.  Repeat with your colored dough. Then place your flattened colored dough on top of the other and trim the edges to create a rectangle. Then roll the dough starting from the shorter end. This part is tricky because the dough falls apart but just stick it back together best you can. 

Once you have a log of dough roll the outer edges in sprinkles. Then cover the dough in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough in 1/2 - 1 in increments and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (the parchment paper allows for the bottom of the cookies to not brown) and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. AND ENJOY!

Pasta, Bean, and Vegetable Soup

Soup season is here! When I think of soup, I think of something that takes a long time to cook and has a ton of ingredients. But here is a quick and healthy soup to try with this fall weather! 

Pasta, Bean, and Vegetable Soup
Yields: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. Brown Lentils
• 1 Carrot, Diced
• 1 Celery Stick, Diced
• 1 Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, Finley Chopped
• A Hefty Pinch of Crushed Red Peppers
• 6 1/4 c. Vegetable Stock
• 1 c. of Each; Canned Red Kidney Beans, Cannellini Beans, and Chickpeas (all rinsed and drained)
• 1 c. Whole Wheat Pasta (some sort of shape)

Directions:

Start by bringing 2 c. water and lentils to boil in a medium sauce pan. Then bring it down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Once tender, transfer to a strainer and let them cool. 

In a large pan heat oil and add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. 

In a large pot add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add kidney beans, cannelloni beans, chickpeas, lentils and, vegetables and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Then add pasta and bring back to a boil for about 5 minutes until the pasta is al dente (note if you over cook the pasta it will become mushy because it will continue to cook in the soup) Season with salt and pepper and ENJOY!

Near Perfection Pie Crust

The perfect pie crust is something that is very hard to come by, but here is a recipe for one that is pretty close. This is a recipe anyone can make because you do not need a food processor. One trick is to make sure you keep everything as cold as possible. 

Pie Crust
Yields: A top and a bottom 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. Flour
• 1 T. Sugar
• 1 t. Salt
• 1 c. VERY cold butter, unsalted

Directions: 

Start by putting 3/4 c. of water in a measuring cup and drop a couple of ice cube in it. (you need very cold water) Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. 

Next, cut the butter into 1 in. cubes and add to the flour mixture. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until it looks like tiny peas. (it won't take long)   

Then drizzle 1/2 c. of the ice water over the dough and with a rubber spatula glue the dough together. After a while you can resort to your hands to help glue the dough together. Also, if needed you can add another 1/4 c. of ice water but add very little at a time.

 Once it is almost all stuck together divide the dough in half and kneed each half a little if needed. Then place each half in plastic wrap and flatten into disk shape and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. To cook the crust follow directions associated with your desired pie. AND ENJOY!

     

Birthday Blueberry Muffins

My first blog just so happens to be on my daddy's birthday! 

For the morning of his big day I made him Blueberry Muffins and they are to die for and are simple to make!

Birthday Blueberry Muffins
Yields: 1 Dozen

Ingredients: 

• 1 3/4 c. Flour
• 1/3 c. Sugar
• 2 1/2 t. Baking Powder
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 c. Butter Melted
• 1 c. Blueberries

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease or line your muffin sheet with muffin liners.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix. Then add butter and egg to the flour mixture and mix just until moistened. ( you don't want to over mix) Then fold in the blueberries. 

Drop spoonfuls into your prepared pan and place in the oven for 18-25 minutes. Until the tops are golden. AND ENJOY!