Pecan Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I threw these together this morning and thought they were so good I should write the recipe down.  GGirl approved as well.
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour*
1 cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
2 Tbs Baking Powder
4 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1 3/4 cups Milk
1/3 cup Water*
1 Egg
2 Tbs Flax Seed/6 Tbs water combo.
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans.
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more *grin*)
Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.  Heat up your griddle and cook them up.  I sprinkled each pancake with the chocolate chips once on the griddle.
*You can use 2 cups All Purpose and skip the whole wheat, but leave the water out.

Baked French Toast

A while back I posted a picture of a totally yummy Blueberry/Cream Cheese Baked French Toast and mentioned something about trying to post the recipe in the next week or so.  Life took off, illness crept in and time slipped away.  Now I'm making baked french toast again this week and figured it was high time I get a recipe up!

First off, any recipe that can revitalize stale bread is a winner in my book and this recipe is perfect for that.  I also have an egg dish recipe based off of this one that has become a favorite.  So, when the homemade bread starts to go stale, it gets cubed up, thrown in the freezer and saved for one of these recipes.

For the baked french toast:  the blueberry one I made was good, but a little on the egg-y side for my tastes.  So, I've taken the idea from that recipe and merged it with this recipe to come up with my ThrivingMama Baked French Toast.  Also, the fruit amounts are a starting point.  If you like a super fruity breakfast treat, then by all means, add more - I usually do!

ThrivingMama Baked French Toast
This recipe is intended for an 8x8 pan, doubled should work fine in a 9x13 with extended baking time.


4-5 cups cubed bread (1" cubes or smaller)
5 Eggs
1- 1/4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Half and Half
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups of your favorite Fruit/berries (frozen Cherries & Blueberries work well)
4 ounces Cream Cheese (small cubes)
1/2 cup Sugar

1.  Spray pan with non-stick spray.  Place half the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan.  It should be covered fully.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fruit, remaining bread cubes and top with cream cheese cubes and 1/2 cup fruit.
2.  Thoroughly combine (I use the blender) eggs, milk, half and half, cinnamon, and vanilla and pour over bread & fruit.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4.  Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until completely set in the middle.**
5.  While dish is baking, combine remaining 1 cup of fruit and sugar in a small saucepan to create a syrup. Pour over dish once it's done and serve.

Alternate to fruit & cream cheese:  Make a syrup with 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 2 T. Corn syrup in a heavy saucepan and pour over dish before baking.  Also a yummy treat!


**Note: Do NOT put a cold glass pan in a hot oven, let it come to room temperature before putting in a heated oven.  I've also had good luck putting the whole pan in the oven cold and THEN turning the oven on and the pan warms up as the oven heats - but my oven heats slow.  This may not work safely for you!  Please use your discretion or a non-glass pan.

Halloween Treats

Because we live in a rural area we don't see a lot of kids traipsing around on Halloween.  We do get a few folks who know us and bring their kids by, so I try to have something around.  A couple of years it was candy, but then there's leftovers and my will power around mini candy bars is close to nil.

Last year I made sugar cookies and spent the afternoon with YouthGal (aka- GTot's favorite baby sitter) and GTot decorating them.  I wanted to do it again this year but just didn't have the energy to do the whole shebang  sugar cookie - cutting- baking - frosting mess.  So I improvised.  I made a batch of my favorite sugar cookie dough and a batch of the best Chocolate Sugar Cookie dough.  I colored the plain dough orange (well, as orange as I could get it with very little red food coloring in the house) and we cut out pumpkin faces with the chocolate and put them on top of the pumpkin cutouts before we baked them.  We used a pastry cutter to get the zig-zag affect which made the mouths super easy.  They turned out pretty cute and tasted pretty good too!

We didn't use much of the chocolate dough, but that's ok because there's a bake sale I'm going to have to do something for later this month and this dough freezes beautifully!

Freezer Friday: Marinara & White Bean Chili

This week I restocked my freezer with marinara.  I think it's different every time I make it depending on what I have for veggies that need to be used.  I started with my HV Marinara and twisted it a little by adding carrots too since I had some in the freezer that needed to be thrown out hidden somewhere.  I ended up with about nine quarts of marinara all portioned out for future meals-all for less than $6.  More reasons why I love making my on marinara!

I also put together this Chicken and White Bean Chili that was great!  We at half the batch this week and the rest went to the freezer for later.  I used broth and chicken from a Chicken Cooking Day and beans from a day of cooking and freezing beans.  This recipe came together very quickly and was quite yummy!  Today I'm making a stock pot of Beef and Veggie soup which will make quick meals this weekend and in the coming months.

White Bean & Chicken Chili

6 cup White beans, cooked and divided

6 cup Chicken Broth

2 medium Onions

4 cups cooked Chicken, chopped
1 can of  RoTel diced tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes & chilies)

1 tsp Chili powder
1 Tbs Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

1.  Puree three cups of the white beans.

2.  Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot or your slow cooker.  Since all ingredients are cooked, you can just heat it through low and slow to combine all the ingredients.  If cooking on the stove, be sure to stir regularly as the pureed beans tend to sink can burn to the bottom of the pan.

This post is linked up at Life As Mom's Frugal Friday.

Baking for the Holidays

Over at Life as Mom today they're talking about foods that make great gifts.  Usually there's so much food around the holidays that I don't often gift food, but here are a few recipes that gift very well:

:: Easy Sugar Cookies are usually a quick go-to for parties or hostess gifts. The are pretty and present well on a holiday plate (usually from dollar store), holiday plastic wrap and a bow.

:: Reduced Sugar Fruit Spreads that I made this summer will be great for gifting this holiday season.  Add a ribbon to the jar and they're ready to go.  Or pair it with a Biscuit Mix in a breakfast basket.  The recipe works beautifully with frozen fruit too!

:: Quick Breads [HV Blueberry Bread, HV Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Cranberry Orange Bread] also gift very well and there are often holiday tins that you can bake them in to make them a bit more festive.  Or wrap them in a holiday plastic wrap and you're good to go!

Drop Biscuit Baking Mixes

At some point a while back, one of the blogs I follow (don't remember which one) featured the idea of mixing up all the dry ingredients of things you bake often, so when you make them you just have to add the wet ingredients.  I love the concept behind this because then I know exactly what is in my baking mixes.  With the winter months falling quickly upon us I decided that it would be worth the prime real estate in my pantry to keep three containers of biscuit mix and three containers of cornbread mix.  I have to refill then once a month - and I usually do this when I go to make said bread the 4th time and there's no mix ready.  So one portion to a bowl, three portions to my containers.  Ingredients out once.   Priceless.  It may seem like a little thing, but these little things make things so much easier at dinner time when the Toddler is melting down and hasn't napped and your head hurts and... I digress.

So, I started with this recipe for biscuits and have modified it a bit and end up with perfect, Whole Grain Drop Biscuits every time.  I've even started substituting in 1/4 cup of applesauce, pureed pumpkin or pureed butternut squash for 1/4 cup of the butter/margarine just to cut the fat down a little bit and I haven't noticed a difference in the final product -besides the applesauce adding a little sweetness.

Without further ado, ThrivingMama's Drop Biscuit Mix:

Drop Biscuit Mixes

1 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

1/4 teaspoon Salt



Combine all dry ingredients in a 2-3 cup storage container.  Be sure to labelyour container with the contents, wet ingredients to add and baking directions to keep things super simple!

When it's time to bake, add

1 cup Milk and

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened

and enjoy a meal time that 's a little bit easier!

This post is linked up at We Are That Family's Works for Me Wednesday Fall Recipe Swap

Freezer Friday: Sugar Cookies Made Easy

Sugar cookies are such a festive cookie adaptable for as many occasions as you can invest in cookie cutters or decorations.  Rolling out the dough and frosting them can be such a fun family activity too!  Most times, I get them rolled out, baked and decorated with the butter cream frosting and stand back and think "now what?"  I can't stack them up on a tray or storage bag or all the frosting will get mashed up.  I could throw them all in the freezer and then stack them and freeze them - but they just wouldn't be as good frozen and thawed later.

A couple years ago I came upon a great frosting recipe that sets beautifully and dry on the surface but moist underneath.  Bingo!  That takes care of part of the dilemma.  But what about the mess of mixing, rolling, and cutting?  This year I decided that I could mix, roll and cut all in one big party, and then freeze the cut out cookies before I bake them.  Pull what I need for a given occasion and bake them.  Mix up frosting and voila! Ready to go with half the mess.

So, here's how it breaks down:

1.  Make a batch (or 2) of your favorite sugar cookie recipe.  I use The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe and it has always turned out great.  When I mix two, I'll mix the first, empty the bowl, and then mix the second - in my world of dish loathing there's no point in washing in between if you're making the exact same recipe.



2.  Roll, cut, layer, freeze.  Repeat. Repeat.  Repeat.  Until the dough is gone.  A round cookie cutter (glass) will give you an all occasion shaped cookie.  I am working with pumpkins and fall leaves as I have three parties coming up for which fall theme will be appropriate.  Once the cookies were frozen between layers of wax paper, I stacked them in a plastic container before they found their somewhat temporary home in the freezer.



3.  Pull and bake what you need and mix up an adequate amount of icing.  I love this recipe because you can dip your cookies in and it dries glossy.  Take a bit of the remaining icing and add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up and it pipes on nicely for accents.  If you don't have a pastry bag or decorating tips, no problem.  Put the frosting in a freezer zip top bag and cut a tiny opening in one of the corners.  Decorate away.

4.  Once the frosting has set, your cookies can be stacked and displayed on a tray - party perfect!



Then, the next time you need a cookie tray, repeat steps 3 and 4 until your freezer stash of cookies is gone.

This post is linked up at Life As Mom's Frugal Friday: Gearing Up for the Holidays.

HV Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

A while back I saw a blog talking about incorporating black bean puree into brownies.  Intriguing. I already hide veggies in my baked goods, why not some extra protein & fiber. When I found this recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread, my first thought was "YUM!"  immediately followed by "how can I cut back the sugar and oil?".   I thought I'd try the black beans.  I have to say, it was a great success.  Unless you share your secret, nobody will know that this recipe has been healthified.  If Ihadn't made it I wouldn't have guessed it had zucchini, let alone black beans!

This is a very versatile recipe as it makes a nice muffin or breakfast bread.   You can dust it with powdered sugar and garnish with summer berries and serve as a pretty dessert.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup cocoa powder


• 2 eggs


• ¾ cup  Sugar


• ¾ cup Brown Sugar


• 2/3 cup oil


• 2 cups grated zucchini


• ¾ cup black bean puree


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 cups All-purpose flour


• 1 cup White Whole Wheat flour


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.  Combine sugars and eggs.  Add cocoa powder, oil and black bean puree and mix thoroughly.  Add in zucchini and blend.

2.  Add all remaining dry ingredients (combine in a separate bowl if that's your style).  Mix them up.   Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

3.  Pour batter into two greased loaf pans or into prepared muffin tins.  Bake at 35o for 20-25 minutes for muffins and 40-50 minutes for loaves.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

I made these Grilled Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas as part of my September Batch Cooking.   They freeze great and are easy to pull out and bake for a hot, hearty dinner on a cool fall night. Top them with your favorite salsa, serve them with beans and Spanish rice y es muy bueno! (and it's very good!) You can use flour or corn tortillas - I used the cheap flour ones and they almost dissolved when I cooked my enchiladas this time, so you may want to spring for decent tortillas.

I LOVE good Mexican food. I was once served beef wrapped in a tortilla and smothered with canned tomato soup and called enchiladas – not good Mexican food. This enchilada recipe would probably get laughed at in some of my favorite Mexican restaurants but it follows in the tradition of my Mom's enchiladas – so we call them enchiladas.  With the dissolving  tortilla issue of this batch is was more like a casserole, but still muy bueno!

(Any extra cheese sauce makes great Mac & Cheese!)

Grilled Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

16 burrito size Tortillas or 32 Taco size tortillas

Filling

4 Chicken Breasts, Grilled and shredded or chopped

2-4oz cans Green Chilis

1 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper

1 cup chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 medium Onion, finely chopped

1-24 oz containter of Cottage Cheese

4 cups grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

Cheese Sauce

½ cup Butter/Margarine

½ cup Flour

2 ½ cups Milk

4 cups grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Make the Cheese Sauce (or skip this step by using canned cheese soup or jar nacho cheese sauce for more of a kick)

1. 
   

   Melt butter in a large saucepan.

   
   


2. 
   

   Add flour to melted butter and stir until all the flour is incorporated into a rue.

   
   


3. 
   

   Slowly add 1/2-1 cup of the milk and whisk until the rue dissolves completely into the milk. Add remaining milk and heat to near boil.

   
   


4. 
   

   Turn off heat and stir in 4 cups of grated cheese until melted.

   
   

Set cheese sauce aside.

Mix all the filling ingredients except the chicken.

Assemble the Enchiladas:

1. 
   

   Place 1/2-1 cup of the cheese sauce in the bottom of your pan – enough to  lightly coat the bottom of the pan.

   
   


2. 
   

   Place a tortilla on a flat working surface.

   
   


3. 
   

   Place 1/3-1/2 cups of filling and a sprinkling of the chicken onto the center of the tortilla.

   
   

   

   
   


4. 
   

   Roll up the tortilla burrito style.

   
   


5. 
   

   Place filled tortilla into pan. (mine ripped – and that's ok – they are just there to hold the filling in place)

   
   
   

   
   



6. 
   

   Repeat until you've squeezed as many enchiladas as you can into the pan (usually I can fit 8 – 10 in a 9x13 pan and 4-6 in an 8x8 square pan). Pour more cheese sauce over the top and top with a hand full of grated.

   
   

   

   
   


7. 
   

   Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees or until bubbly.

   
   

Making Apple Sauce

I'm not getting much from my garden right now to store away, but I have been able to take advantage of great deals from the produce market to put fresh items away for winter.  Yesterday was applesauce day in my kitchen.  I can get a half bushel bag of "seconds" apples from my local produce stand for $5.  Add about an hour of work and I have 12 pints of fresh made, no sugar added, super yummy apple sauce.

Mostly because I have a cool attachment for my MamaMixer that separates the apple from the peel and core.  I chop the apples, boil them for about 7 minutes and send them through.  Out one side comes the apple debris and out the bottom comes the apple sauce!  It's a fabulous invention that does all the work for me!



Linked at Works for Me Wednesday and An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party.

Roasted Red Peppers

Remember that pile of red peppers that made it to the freezer? I had 6 peppers left over after the pepper bomb construction that needed to be stored.  But I was out of freezer bags (during harvest season - oh the horror!). So I decided to roast them. I love the smell of fresh roasted peppers and the flavor even more.  I roasted them on the grill and it was super easy!

Step 1- Wash Peppers

Step 2- Grill Peppers: Heat up the grill and place whole peppers on the grill over medium high heat. Turn every 3-6 minutes until the peppers are good and charred.

Step 4- Steam: Once charred place peppers in a bowl and cover. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to steam the skins off.

Step 5 – Remove skin: Once peppers are cool enough to handle, pull the skin off and discard. Cut out stem and remove seeds and discard. Slice roasted pepper meat as you wish.

Step 6- Store: Place peppers in an airtight container. Top off with Olive Oil and toss. Refrigerate jar and use in a timely manner.

So easy, and a great way to use in-season or discounted peppers!  So far we have used them in sandwiches, scrambled eggs and they are destined to go in some enchiladas this week too.

This post is linked up at $5 Dinners-Grow.Eat.$ave: Peppers

Easy Caprese

When fresh tomatoes and basil are in season, there is nothing better than a Caprese Salad. I had hoped to have fresh mozzarella to use for this years first Caprese, but instead, I used the  ricotta and it was just as heavenly! Here's the “recipe”.

Easy Caprese Salad

1 plate of Tomato Slices

Fresh Mozzarella slices to match the slices (or dollops of ricotta!)

20 + fresh Basil leaves

3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Layer the tomatoes on the bottom, top with cheese and basil. Drizzle the stacks with the oil and vinegar. Follow with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

This post is linked at GoodCheapEats - What's on Your Plate and It's A Blog Party: Delicious Dishes

Easy Fried Rice

Updated August 19, 2010:  If you're joining me from Life As Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap, welcome!  My broccoli didn't give enough this year to freeze, but all the little bits ended up in yummy fried rice, along with all the other garden bits that weren't quite enough to freeze up!

I love Chinese food, but it is one of the few ethnic foods that is very hard to get right at home-although there are some kits on the grocery shelves to make it a bit better.  This summer we've come to enjoy fried rice.  I make as big of a batch of rice as I can in my kettle and freeze portions to pull out and use for this recipe later.

It's a quick one pan meal (if you have a wok or a really big skillet) that is a great way to re-purpose bits of other meals that are hanging around.  You can modify the vegetables and seasonings to fit what is coming in from your garden or your personal tastes.  (I'd have a nifty picture -but we were too busy getting dinner on the table - next time!)

Fried Rice

3 cups Cooked Rice

2 Eggs

2 cups Shredded Carrots

2 cups chopped Vegetables (this batch is Broccoli and green beans)

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons Grated Ginger

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 pound lean Pork or Chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet.  Add ginger and garlic and sautee for about two minutes.  Add soy sauce and cook until mixture is simmering.

2. Add meat to skillet and cook until meat is done all the way through.

2.  Add carrots and broccoli and cook until almost tender.

3.  Push meat and veggies to the edge of the pan and crack the egg into the center of the pan and scramble it.  Once the egg is cooked mix it in with the meat and vegetables.

4.  Add rice, mix thoroughly and cover until rice is heated.  Serve alone or with your favorite egg rolls!

Dozen Layer Finger Jello

Most of the yummy jello recipes that I am fond of, originated from my Aunt Joyce.  I'm not usually a fan of straight up jello but certain combinations are so yummy.  This weekend we were expecting to have a bunch of kids around and most kids like jello, right?  I went searching and found this recipe for 12 Layer Finger Jello and it was very pretty, pretty fun and yummy too!

After making it, here are a few tips:

1.  Make sure you have a timer handy.  Each layer will take about 10 minutes to set in the fridge. Mix the jello, Pour the sour cream layer, set the timer, [go do something else], let the clear layer cool on the counter, turn water on to boil, pour clear layer, mix next batch, repeat.    My electric tea pot was also very useful.

2.  Consider a 11x14 pan- or a couple fewer layer - it filled the 9x13 up almost to the top.

3.  Make sure the shelf in the fridge is as level as possible for even layers.

Linked up at  Life as Mom's Picnic Recipe Swap

Cranberry Oat Bars

After cruising some of my favorite recipe sites yesterday looking for a good bar recipe that would use up something - anything - from the freezer, I came up with this recipe for Cranberry Bars. I didn't have all the ingredients, so I modified.   I doubled it and it worked wonderfully in a jelly-roll pan.  Here's the finished recipe - and they are very yummy!

Update 6/14/2010 - My bars did turn out rather cakey.  If you are looking for more of a cookie type bar, reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package whole cranberries

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4c. water (1/2 cup if frozen cranberries)

____

1 1/4 c. All Purpose Flour

1 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

3.5 tsp Baking Powder,

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

½ c. milk

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:

1.  In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, white sugar, and water. Cook, stirring occasionally.  Once liquids begin to boil, mash lightly with a potato masher to "pop" the cranberries.  Cook until the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, oats, brown sugar.  Add melted butter, vanilla and eggs. Set aside about 1/3 of the mixture, and spread the rest into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pack down to form a solid crust, getting it as even as possible. Spread the cooled cranberry mixture over the crust. Pinch off pieces of the remaining mixture and place evenly over the cranberry layer.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly browned. Cool in the pan for about 40 minutes before slicing into bars.

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Freezer Friday: Summer/Fall Meat Stock Up

I love to buy bulk meat when I can get a good deal.  This was one of those weeks.  Our local restaurant warehouse store had meat on sale this week.  I was able to stock up for the summer and some parties we have coming up.

Pork loin, boneless skinless chicken breast and ground beef were all on sale for less than $2 per pound.  The catch: they were all packaged in ten pound packages.  I was able to have the butcher slice up the pork loin in to grilling chops.  I’ll turn a good portion of the ground beef into hamburger patties and chicken breasts were separated and portioned out for the freezer.

I usually like to throw marinade in with my meat when I freeze it to save a step later but I didn’t have the time this go-round.

When all was done, I had a nice stack of meat in the freezer ready for all of my summer grill meals to come!

And I have rhubarb coming out of my ears that needs to be picked and packed for the freezer… add that to the list!

Coconut Fudge Cookies

When I think of coconut cookies, the first thing that comes to mind is macaroons. They're good, but always a bit more work than I want to put into a batch of cookies. I like to make cookie dough that I can freeze and pull out and bake when I need a dozen.

Monday night I got home and needed to whip up a batch of cookies and my computer was still packed away from my day out of the house so I turned to a Taste of Home cookbook that's been collecting dust on my shelf. I found a recipe for coconut cookies that looked good and weren't macaroons. I tweaked the recipe a bit to accommodate what I had on hand and this is what I ended up with.

They were SO good! They were so good straight from the oven. And as as a morning snack with coffee while I was working. And so good as dessert with dinner. And so good that the stash I sent to HandyMan's meeting completely disappeared. They were THAT good! If you like coconut, you should make them. If you like coconut and dark chocolate (think Mounds Bar) you should definitely put the chocolate on top.

Coconut Fudge Cookies

1 cup softened Butter or Margarine

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Fudge Topping

2 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1 Tablespoon Butter or Margarine

Directions

1.  Cream together sugar and butter.  Beat eggs into the creamed mixture.

2.  Add flour, baking soda and coconut and blend thoroughly.

3.  Divide dough and roll into logs 2-3 inches thick.  Wrap in plastic and place in the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours.

4.  Slice dough into 1/4 inch discs and place on a baking sheet.  [mine didn't spread much]

5.  Bake at 325 degrees for 18-25 minutes or until edges turn golden.

6.  Melt chocolate squares and 1 tablespoon of butter/margarine.  Spread frosting-style on top of the warm cookies. [I also want to try to make the cookies super thin and sandwich the chocolate in the middle like a fancy Pepperidge Farm type cookie].

7.  Allow to cool [or not] and enjoy!

Roasted Potato Salad

I LOVE roasted potatoes. If you like roasted potatoes, you can quit and serve them as they come out of the oven. If you need a tasty summer side dish that is ready to serve from the fridge, take the next step and have a fantastic potato salad. My only regret is that I didn't have enough potatoes to double this and have it extras in the fridge this week (and that I forgot to take a picture)!

Roasted Potato Salad

8 cups chopped Red Potatoes (1/2 inch cubes work great)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Sour Cream

Directions:
1. Toss potatoes, olive oil and spices together until all are evenly distributed.
2. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Turn potatoes every 15 minutes to keep.
3. Once potatoes have thoroughly cooled, add shredded cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir.
4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with green onion and/or crumbled bacon.

HV Blueberry Bread

I have to admit, while trying to use up the yellow squash in my freezer I've come up with some hidden veggie recipes that were tolerable but not worth sharing. However, I struck gold with this on on Saturday. It turned out delicious! You can make it in loaf pans as a bread or it would be just as yummy in square/rectangle pan as a coffee cake. Just adjust your baking times accordingly.

HV Blueberry Bread

3/4 cups Margarine
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs
3/4 cups pureed Yellow Squash
3/4 cups Milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 1/2 cups Flour (I substituted 1-1/2 cups White Whole Wheat and it was great!)
2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Cream margarine and sugar together. Add Eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
2. Add squash and milk and blend thoroughly.
3. Add flour and baking soda and mix. Once batter is smooth, fold in blueberries.
4. Spoon batter into greased pans (2 loaf pans or 1-9x13) and bake at 350 until inserted toothpick comes out clean. 40-60 minutes for loaves, 35-45 for pans.

Enjoy!

Linked up at $5Dinners Yellow Squash Grow Eat $ave post.

Iron Filled Molasses Cookies

One of the first recipes I found that used infant cereal was for a molasses cookie.  GBaby loves them and since we’ve been feeding her these “cookies” one of her first words is – you guessed it – ‘ca-kee’!

Iron Filled Molasses Cookies

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1/4 cup frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed

3/4 cup flour (can use whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking soda,

2 cups infant cereal,

3 TBsp frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Grease a cookie sheet or spray with nonstick spray.

3.  Lightly cream molasses and butter. Mix in egg and orange juice concentrate. Add dry ingredients and mix all together at once.

4.  Roll into small balls (I used G's baby spoon to get a bit less than a tablespoon) and mash down.  They will bake in a slightly puffed out form of whatever you make them.

5.  Bake 10-12 minutes - until firm.  Cool and serve.

(Somehow I've made these 2-3 times and not taken pictures yet - oops!)