Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I actually made this recipe with Reese's pieces candy instead of the chocolate chips. They were way yummy. Plus my husband prefers them with Reese's Pieces since he is a Reese's fan. Remember to not cook longer than 10 minutes or they will be overcooked. Also make sure to leave them on the cookie sheet for 7 minutes or they will be undercooked. They taste great with different candies.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 package chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix sugars, butter, and egg in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Chocolate chips. Drop dough by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. No more than 10 minutes. Cookies will look soft. Leave on cookie sheet for 7 minutes.

Tres Leches Cake (Three Milk Cake)

courtesy of Kari Celaya and Sandra Martinez

1 yellow cake mix - prepare and bake as usual

1 can of each: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk.

When cake is done, with a fork, poke holes throughout the cake. Mix all the can of milks together and pour over cake….and refrigerate.

Orzo Salad

courtesy of Foodnetwork.com
Giada De Laurentiis

4 cups Chicken Broth
1 1/2 cup Orzo
1 (15 OZ) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
about 3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette, recipe follows
salt and pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired.

Basic Italian Bread

From: Misty Lindsey


Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

2 cups water, lukewarm 1 3/4 ounces cake yeast (1/3 cup) {I used 1 1/2 Tab regular dry active yeast}5 3/4 cups bread flour {I only used 4 1/2 cups}1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 1 egg white, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.

Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.
{I only heated my oven to 400 degrees and baked for 35 minutes after spraying with water and it still turned out very brown and perfectly baked.}

Bread or Dinner Rolls

From: Misty Lindsey

2 cup warm water
approx 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbls yeast

Allow to bloom for about 5 minutes

1 tsp. salt
1 cube melted butter (or 1/3 cup olive oil)
about 4 1/2 cup flour (start with less because you can add more if needed)

Let knead in an electric mixer until you have a soft, smooth dough. A little sticky is preferred, but not too sticky. Let set for about 10 minutes then form into loaves or rolls. Bake at 350-375 for 25-30 minutes. Time will need to be adjusted for the oven and the shape of the dough. This recipe also makes a good pizza crust.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie

From: Misty Lindsey

1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Cream these really well. I let my mixer beat them on med-high for probably close to 10 minutes. You want it to get really light in color and fluffy.

2 eggs
1/2 Tbls water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal (optional)
Chocolate chips to taste and nuts if desired

Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes. Don't let them get brown. Allow to cool on the sheet. you can also freeze the dough balls to bake later.

Strawberry Limeade

I made this with our Sunday Dinner it was very yummy. I had Strawberries and Limeade and thought that it would taste great together. I also thought but didn't do that it would have been yummy with crushed or shaved ice added kind of like the drink at Sonic.

Ingredients:
1 frozen limeade concentrate
2 quarts water
2 cups strawberries
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Mix Limeade with water. Put Strawberries and sugar in blender or food processor and puree for 10 seconds. Add Strawberry mixture to Limeade. Chill and Serve.

Hawaiian Chicken

I was looking for an easy recipe to make in a Crock pot today since we get out of church at 5 pm. Preparing anything when we get home has us eating really late. This recipe is courtesy of Nora's world on Yummy Food 4 All Blog. I also halved the recipe since there is only 2 adults and a baby in our home. I hope that you enjoy, it was very yummy.

6 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 16 oz cans pineapple slices, drained
2 15 oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 C cornstarch
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C lemon juice
1 t salt
1 t ginger
1/2 t ground red pepper

Put the chicken in the crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours. Serve over rice. To freeze, put chicken in a Ziploc, mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Serves 8-10.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is a favorite side salad among my family members.

Ingredients:
bag of spinach
1 pint sliced strawberries
1 cup chopped pecans (you can use walnuts if you don't have pecans)
2 Tbs maple syrup
small red onion sliced (optional)

Directions:
Put Spinach and Sliced Strawberries in a mixing bowl. Caramelize Pecans in a skillet with
Maple syrup(I have also at times just bought caramelized pecans in the store). When Pecan's are done add them to the mixing bowl. At this point if you like you can add the Red Onion. Next make Poppy Seed Dressing. Add Dressing just before serving to prevent spinach from wilting.

Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 c mayo
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp lime juice or vinegar

Directions:
In Blender mix ingredients for Dressing together.

Italian chicken pasta salad

I made this for dinner last night. It was perfect for a hot summer day. Light and easy.

Ingredients:

8 ounces small shell pasta
2-3 chicken breasts
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb garlic
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 cup fresh/frozen vegetables of choice(I used a frozen medley from Costco, with squash, carrots, broccoli and Cauliflower).
1 cup sliced olives
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup mayo (optional)
salt and peeper to taste (optional)
Parsley for garnish

Directions:

Cook pasta over stove top according to directions on package. In a skillet cook chicken with olive oil, garlic, and soy sauce. When chicken is cooked add vegetables on top of chicken while burner is on med/low to steam. When everything is done remove pasta from stove top and drain. Cool pasta in strainer while removing vegetables and chicken from pan. Cut vegetables and chicken to desired sizes. Then add pasta and remaining ingredients to a bowl and serve. Serves 6