Penzey's Cookie Dough Pie

Heather, Andy, and Cole

The fun of the Mum Festival weekend continued.  Saturday morning Heather, Andy, Cole and I walked in the parade.  We gave out candy canes with information on the Christmas in the Village Holiday Home Tour.  It was a bit odd to be wishing everyone a Merry Christmas in September.  But it was nice to get a long walk in and see so many smiling faces.


Back to recipes...Some friends recently enlightened me on Penzeys Spices.  There is a store in Columbus and several other cities.  I have not had the chance to actually visit the store.  However, I signed up for their catalog.  It came a couple of weeks ago and is amazing just to read through.  They give detailed descriptions of all their spices.  I never thought I would be so excited to read about spices.  The catalog also shares recipes.  I knew I had to make this recipe as soon as I saw it, Cookie Dough Pie!  It is absolutely amazing.  The inside stays gooey like cookie dough.  The pie went quickly.  I managed to get a picture before the last few pieces disappeared.  All seemed to really enjoy.

If you have leftovers, warm for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to get that warm cookie fresh from the oven taste.

Cookie Dough Pie...YUM!

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/recipes/r-penzeysCookieDoughPie.html

Ingredients:
1- 9 inch pie shell unbaked
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 Cup butter, melted and cooled
1 Cup quick oats (can also do 1/2 cup quick oats and 1/2 cup chopped pecans)
1 Cup chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Add the eggs and mix.  Add the butter and mix.  Fold in the oatmeal and nuts, chocolate chips, and vanilla.  Pour into the pie crust.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden.


13 pts per serving

White Chicken Chili (slow cooker)

Cruise In Car Show

Friday night I had family and friends over for the Cruise In car show.  The car show is amazing.  Seven blocks of main street are closed off and there are hundreds of old cars.  They go all down main street and each side street.  It was one of my grandpa's favorite shows.  He was missed this year.

Each year we go through and I think about my '55 chevy.  This was the car I drove in high school.  My brother and sister and I each had an old chevy to drive.  Chad had a gold '55 and Heather had a red '52 (the hoopty mobile).  My parents gave the excuse that they are safer cars that were easier to work on.  But I think the real reason was we could not get in trouble with those cars without everyone knowing it was us.  It was more of a check up system while we were out with our friends.  But we had a great time driving them and working on them with Dad.  Maybe next year we'll get it out and fix it up for the show.

My senior pictures with my '55

I do have to say they are incredibly sturdy cars though.  Heather was in a wreck with hers once.  A van ran into the back of her and pushed her into a car in front of her.  The van and other car were all smashed up with smoke coming out of their hoods.  The hoopty mobile had one tiny dent in the back fender.

White Chicken Chili

After the show we came back for dinner.  With so much going on this weekend, I decided a slow cooker recipe would work best.  I found this White Chicken Chili recipe.  Place everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic.  It turned out great.  It's not my favorite of white chicken chili, but it was tasty and the ease factor won it some major points.  I ended up using half of the cayenne pepper because one of the guests does not like spice.  Next time I will use the full amount.  I really like the addition of chick peas.  I have not seen many recipes that call for chick peas.

If you are looking an easy hearty meal, try this one out:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/White-Chili-5

Ingredients

• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• Corn chips, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute the onions in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the chicken, beans, broth, green chilies, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until bubbly. Stir in cilantro. Serve over corn chips; top with cheese and sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

8 servings/ 6 points each (without cheese and sour cream)

Herb Butter

I've been a little lacking in my new recipe endeavor this week.  I thought I would send you all a favorite herb butter recipe.  I crave certain restaurants because they have such great butter when they bring out the bread.  Well, I found a recipe and made a few tweaks.  It turned out just as tasty as the restaurants.  Get a loaf of your favorite bread and enjoy!

Herb Butter:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tbl fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions- combine all ingredients and blend

Ben's out a town for a few days.  I'm having some family friends over for dinner this weekend.  I know, I get so crazy with the hubby out of town.  I'm planning on trying out two new recipes.  One is for a white chili.  The other is for a cookie dough pie.  I can't wait to try both.  I'll be sure to let you know how they are.

Cole Bakes a Cake

It's a rainy dreary day and we are stuck inside.  We, in this case, is myself and my two year old nephew Cole.  I enjoy spending my days with him.  But we like to get out and play, walk, and explore.  We are getting a bit stir crazy.

what we would like to be doing...

What should we do...bake!  I scoured my sisters pantry and came up with the ingredients for pineapple upside down cake sans maraschino cherries.  I really don't think I've had this cake in years.  I remember making it with my mom when I was younger.  Cole is intrigued by all things cooking related.  He was ready to get started.

First he tells me "Cole do it" as far as finding the right pan.  I'm not sure the tea pot is going to help us with this project.

Then we get to work.

He was a bit suprised when he cracked the egg and it splattered on his hand.  Wish I had a picture of his face.  Suprisingly 95% percent of it went in the bowl.

Cole fell asleep before it finished in the oven.  I'm sure he'll be excited to try some tonight.  The end product was great.  Lost some presentation points without the cherries.  It helped clear some of our rainy day blues.

We used the Betty Crocker recipe for Pineapple upside down cake: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pineapple-upside-down-cake/a1c9a639-0748-4f2c-89f5-fd33cf138986

Stir Fry Basil Chicken

We have a basil plant that seems to slowly be turning into a tree.  It was time to find some recipes to use up the basil.  I made pesto earlier today and then turned my attention to this recipe.  I have a mixed review on this one.  There was not a lot of flavor.  If I made it again, I would increase the amount of marinade.  I'm not ready to give up on it.  But it wasn't fantastic.

Stir Fry Basil Chicken from Taste of Home

 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1-3/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 cups sliced bok choy
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions

• In a large resealable bag, combine the water, soy sauce and sugar; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In a wok or skillet, stir-fry the onions in 1 teaspoon oil until crisp-tender. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove and keep warm.
• Drain and discard any marinade from chicken. In the same wok, stir-fry chicken in 3 teaspoons oil for 4-5 minutes or until juices run clear.
• Meanwhile, in another skillet, saute the bok choy in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add onion mixture to chicken. Stir in basil; heat through. Serve with bok choy. Yield: 4 servings.

Sunflower Seed and Honey Wheat Bread

I spent my Saturday morning working at the farmers market.  I can not say enough how great it is to have this market less than a block from our door.  While at the market, we started discussing homemade bread.  I have attempted making bread a few times.  Neither attempt has been successful.  I can't even begin to pinpoint what I've done wrong.  The amount of flour, the temperature, the cooking time all seem to be off.

One of the recipes in my stack is for bread.  So when I saw the warm sunshine coming through our kitchen window, I thought why not give it another try.  I know many people are able to make their own bread.  I think maybe sometimes I don't have the patience for it.  A while back, I bought the book Artisan Bread in just Five Minutes a Day.  I've heard raves about this book.  However, something in me says that I have to make one successful loaf the old way first.  Here's to hoping today is the day....

The dough rose like it should...high hopes...and then...

I ended up with a dense small loaf of bread.  Third time was not a charm.  But I will continue to try.  Patience is a virtue...

One more thought before I sign off.  We ate at a fish fry at a local church today.  This church is great at organizing community efforts.  Today's fish fry raised money to purchase books through Dolly Parton's foundation for all of the kids in the local community.  Anyway, while we were there, someone asked what we were feeling 10 years ago on 9/11.  Now I don't want to talk to much about 9/11 and the 10 year anniversary, but I found this question very interesting when I actually thought about it.  Aside from the feelings of hurt and sympathy for all the family and friends of the victims I felt vulnerability.  It was the first time I had really felt vulnerable.  That day has had an effect on how we all live our lives now.  What do you remember feeling?

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 3-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/4 cup bread flour
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sunflower kernels
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the bread flour, oil, honey, salt and 4 cups whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in sunflower kernels and enough remaining flour to form a firm dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Shape into loaves; place in three greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 loaves (12 slices each).

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

http://imaginationlibrary.com/usa

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sunflower-Seed---Honey-Wheat-Bread

http://www.tippecanoefarmersmarket.com/

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Flatbreads

The colder temps are a reminder that we won't have summer tomatoes too much longer.  So I'm trying to enjoy them while they are still around.  There is nothing like a summer tomato.

Today we tried a new recipe for Grilled Cheese and Tomato Flatbreads.  It is a recipe from the last Taste of Home magazine.  This is by far my favorite of the new recipes.  It is so tasty and easy.  I like the use of refrigerated pizza dough.  However, you could easily use your own favorite pizza dough recipe.  We ate the flatbreads as a meal.  The recipe could easily feed 4 people when served with a side salad.  It could also be used as an appetizer.  The only caution I give is that the crust can burn quickly.

I really hope you take some time to try this one as you enjoy the last days of summer.

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tube (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, chives, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper until blended.
• Unroll pizza crust and cut in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into a 12-in. x 6-in. rectangle; brush each side with oil. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from the grill.
• Spread grilled sides with cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese; top with tomatoes. Return to the grill. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted, rotating halfway through cooking to ensure an evenly browned crust. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
•  
•  
•  4 servings/ 16 pts. per serving

Pie and Southwest Soup

A weekend with plenty of celebration and a scary storm.  We needed the rain, but I'm sure many wish they had their trees still standing.  One of the few days I was glad we don't have trees in our yard.  Thankfully it was not worse.

I made two pies for a get together this weekend.  The first was a lemon meringue pie (my mom's favorite).  I've made this one previously.  Making a lemon meringue pie is so much fun.  It's more like a science experiment.  If anyone ever wants a meringue pie and doesn't feel like fixing it, come see me.  I use the recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook and it has turned out wonderful every time.

 (stock photo again.  We were too excited to eat that I forgot to take a picture.)

I also made a chocolate cream pie.  I'm not usually a fan.  These pies just remind me of pudding and I've never grown fond of pudding.  But I did end up enjoying this one.  It was the first time attempting this recipe.  I altered it slightly.  I added a layer of chocolate ganache on the pie crust.  I smoothed it over the bottom and froze it for a bit.  Then I added the chocolate cream on top and let it chill.  I think the extra layer also prevented the crust from getting soggy.  It was pretty tasty and super chocolatey (never a bad thing).

(Close up of chocolate layer on bottom)

Thanks to Mary and Terry for having a get together over the weekend.  Love the pool, food, and games.  Mary and Terry are amazing cooks.  Hopefully I'll get some of their recipes as well.

Well, it's the first cooler day.  I know that 67 is not cold.  But compared to the 90's a few days ago, it feels chilly.  So I'm making one of my favorite soups for dinner.  This is definitely a family favorite.  I think my mom found it in a church cookbook years ago.  I'm sure some of you already have the recipe.  It is called Southwest Soup and is more like a chili.  It is incredibly easy to make.  Recipe below if anyone wants to try it.

Southwest Soup
1 lb ground beef (or turkey or combo)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cans beef broth (around 42 oz depending on consistency you like)
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can kidney beans
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning
toppings:  sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips

Directions- brown beef and drain.  Mix with remaining ingredients in large pot.  Cook over low heat for an hour or until warmed through (Also does well in a crock pot).  Top with toppings of your choice.

*I try to find the low sodium options for many of these ingredients

If anyone wants the chocolate cream or lemon meringue pie recipe, you can email me @ juliecdeacon@gmail.com.

Three-Cheese Blackberry Quesadillas with Pepper-Peach Salsa

I was only planning on doing only one recipe this week.  But I woke up dreaming about this recipe twice.  Yes, that's right, two times.  I don't make a regular habit of dreaming about food.  The title itself just sounded so good.  I figured I should just go ahead and try it out.

Let me also start this by saying that I am a meat and potatoes type girl.  I tried being a vegetarian for a summer.  I think I started loosing all of my hair.  I'm sure that didn't actually happen, but it sure seemed like it.  It also didn't help that I was eating guacamole most days without realizing I have an intolerance to avocados.  So I didn't feel that great for most of the summer.  I would sneak a chili dog from time to time thinking any small amount of meat would make me feel better.

This recipe is a little out of our typical fare.  It just sounded so delicious I had to try it.  I pulled the recipe out of Southern Living from June 2009.  They had a whole section of blackberry/peach recipes.  I had pulled the page for a blackberry peach coffee cake.  Still haven't tried that one.  I'm sure it will come later.  I noticed the quesadilla recipe on the same page.

The quesadillas were delicious.  I really enjoyed the pepper peach salsa.  It has that mild sweet from the peaches combined with some cayenne pepper.  However, I doubt we'll fix this one again.  We are thinking of ways to use different parts of the recipe.  The cheese mixture could be great for sandwiches or grilled cheese with tomatoes.  I'm also trying to think of another use for the pepper peach salsa.






Three-Cheese Blackberry Quesadillas
1 (4 oz) goat cheese log, softened
1/2 cup freshley grated parmesan cheese
4 oz cream cheese
soft taco size flour tortillas
1 2/3 cups fresh blackberries, halved

Preparation

• 1. Stir together softened goat cheese, softened cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese until blended. Spread cheese mixture on 1 side of each tortilla; top with blackberries. Fold in half.
• 2. Cook tortillas, in batches, in a lightly greased large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut into wedges, and serve with Pepper-Peach Salsa.

Pepper Peach Salsa
2 lg fresh peaches, diced
1/2 cup peach jam
1 tsp. lime zest
2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Stir together all ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.