Magic Cookie Bars

These bars should seriously be called Miracle Magic Cookie Bars.  After all, how is it possible that just six simple ingredients can magically transform into a rich, sumptuous, silky, creamy, chocolately decadent bar?  Am I wrong?

Here's what you'll need...

1/2 C butter, melted
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
2 C semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 1/3 flaked coconut
1 C chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Enjoy!!! 

Caramel Apple Dip

A co-worker brought this dip into work and I was hooked!
 

Here's what you'll need...

1 tub of whipped cream cheese
1 jar of caramel dessert topping
2 C Granola (any kind!)
2 Heath Bars (smashed into pieces!)
Granny Smith apples
Lemon juice

1. Spread cream cheese into the bottom of a glass pie dish 
2. Spread the caramel topping over the cream cheese (leaving just a little in the jar for drizzling!)
3. Sprinkle the granola on top
4. Sprinkle the crushed heath bars
5. Drizzle with remaining caramel
6. Refrigerate
7. Just before serving, slice apples and coat with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Enjoy!!

Family Style Chicken

There's a local restaurant (shout out to Wright's Chicken Farm!!) that is famous for their family style chicken.  It is soooo good...crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.  They serve it "family" style with endless platters of pasta shells, homemade french fries, salad, and rolls.  You literally roll out of there!

I love this chicken recipe.  It's just as good as the restaurant version and only a fraction of the cost.  Most grocery stores often have chicken leg quarters on sale.  I love that I can feed my family of four for under $5.  Baking the chicken "low and slow" is the secret. 

Here's what you'll need...

4 Chicken Leg Quarters
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Rosemary (optional)
S&P

Preheat oven for 250 degrees.  Line a roasting pan with foil (spray foil with cooking spray.)  Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and rub liberally.  Sprinkle with the seasoning of your choice.  Tent with foil (only seal 2 ends, leaving 2 sides open for steam to escape.)

Bake for 3 hours.  Increase heat to 350 degrees, remove foil, and bake another 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!!

Stacey's Sauce & Meatballs

I love making this dish on the weekend...the sweet aroma of the sauce simmering on the stove all day.  Served with a garden salad and some buttery garlic bread...Mmmmm. 

I will start with the sauce (gravy for all my Italian friends, but I won't get into that age old debate...not today!)

Here's what you'll need...

Oregano
Bay Leaf
Sweet Basil
Fresh Parsley
Garlic Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
Med. Vidalia Onion
S&P
Garlic (lots of garlic!)
Olive Oil
Sugar
(2) 28 oz cans of Tomato Sauce
(2) 6 oz cans of  Tomato Paste
(2) 16 oz. cans of Diced Tomatoes
Red Wine (Chianti is good)

Ready??

1. Put enough olive oil in the pan to just barely cover the bottom
2. Chop up (3) large cloves of garlic as fine as you can and place in the pan.  (Yes, the heat is not on yet.  Just let the garlic sit in the oil!)
3. Chop up the vidalia onion, as fine as you can
4. Heat the garlic and oil over medium heat.  Heat until you see little bubbles around the garlic.  Do not overcook the garlic!  When you see the bubbles, add the onion and reduce the heat to medium low.
5. Add 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp sweet basil, a dash of S&P and mix well.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Spoon in (1) can of tomato paste.  Fill the can with water, stir it up in the can, and add to the pan and mix well.  Turn the heat back up to medium and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add a dash of S&P and 1/2 tsp oregano.
7. Add (2) cans of diced tomato.  Fill these cans with water, mix, and add to pan.  Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp sweet basil, 1 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, dash of pepper, and dash of crushed red pepper.
9. Add the 2nd can of tomato paste.  Fill with water, mix, dump in pan.  Mix well and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add dash of S&P.
10. At this point, the sauce should not be boiling.  If it is, turn the heat down a little.  Also, be sure to stir every minute or so, you do not want the sauce sticking to the bottom. 
11. Add (2) cans of tomato sauce.  Mix well.  Fill 1 of the cans with water and add to the sauce. 
12. Add 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp parsley, 3 dashes of sweet basil, 3 dashes of garlic powder.  Mix well.  Heat should be at medium or lower.  Cover pan.
13. Add 1/3 C of red wine and bay leaf and mix well.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Phew...now the meatballs...

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 Egg
1 1/2 pieces of dark Wheat Bread with crust
3 tsp Italian Breadcrumbs
1/4 C fresh Parsley
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Garlic (2 cloves, crushed fine)
Cooking Spray
Garlic Powder (dash)
S&P (dash)
Red Wine (splash)
1 tsp Sweet Basil

1. In a large bowl, pour all ingredients except wheat bread
2. Under the faucet, soak the bread in your hands.  Squeeze out as much water as you can (bread should be gooey)
3. Break up the wheat bread and add to bowl
4. Mix ingredients well.

Okay, how you make your balls is up for debate.  Some people bake them, some people fry them, and some just throw them in the sauce.  The choice is yours.  It's all a personal preference!  I like to fry them, however be forewarned, this does smoke up the house!  When I do this, I am usually forced to open all of the windows in the house.

To fry your balls...

1. Get a good nonstick frying pan and spray with cooking spray
2. Roll the balls into 1" - 1 1/2" balls
3. Heat the pan on medium high to high
4. You want to sear the balls.  If you are not getting a LOT of smoke from the browning, you do not have the heat high enough.
5. Place balls in the pan (do in batches) and sear to get a good crust  You want your balls to be firm.  Firm balls are good balls!
6. Prior to putting the balls in the sauce, add 2 tsp of sugar into the sauce
7. Gently place balls in the sauce
8. Cover and simmer over low 1 1/2 - 2 hours
9. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!!

Cold Country Pound Cake

This is a good old fashioned recipe that's been around forever.  In order for the pound cake to cook perfectly, it must be placed in a cold oven!

Here's what you'll need...

 

3 C Flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 C unsalted butter, softened

1/2 C shortening

2/3 C white sugar

5 eggs

1 C milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

 

Directions...

1. Do not preheat the oven. Grease 10 inch tube pan and line bottom with wax paper or parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar on low speed for 10 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk, mixing well. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)  Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 1 hour. Remove to a cake rack and cool for at least 3 hours.

Crunchy Buffalo Tenders

Whenever we watch football, there's always something on the menu involving hot sauce.  I love boneless buffalo tenders, however they always seem to be somewhat soggy. 

The secret to ultra crispy boneless buffalo wings you ask?...Dorritos! 

Here's what you'll need...

16 Dorrito chips, crushed finely
2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 C flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
1 C milk
1/2 C hot sauce
1/2 stick butter
6 C vegetable oil (for frying)
Blue Cheese Dressing
Carrots
Celery

Combine flour, doritos, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. 

In another bowl, whisk together egg and milk. 

Dip chicken pieces into the egg mixture, then dip in the four mixture.  Once all pieces have been coated, repeat for a second coating.  Place on platter and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oil in a fryer or dutch oven to 275 degrees.

Working in batches, fry chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes, until browned and cooked through.  Drain on paper towels (a brown bag is even better!)

Melt butter in small saucepan and add hot sauce, until melted and blended.

Pour sauce into a deep bowl and add chicken, coating thoroughly. 

Serve with blue cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks.  Enjoy!!

Use leftovers (if any!) to make a buffalo salad!!!

Savory Steak Marinade

 

Hubby and I are both meat & potatoes lovers.  If asked what our last meal would be, this is it. 

During a typical week, it isn’t often that we are able to have dinner together as a family.  Shawn is a Firefighter, so his schedule rotates. 

Typically, he has about 3-4 shifts a week where he isn’t home for dinner.  When his 1^st day off falls on a Friday, it’s steak & steamers for dinner.  It is sort of an unspoken vow…no words exchanged…no “what’s for dinner honey?”…if it’s Friday, it’s steak & steamer night!  For those of you who are not from New England, steamers are soft shell clams that are steamed (we steam them in beer and old bay seasoning) and served with butter (or as us Rhode Islanders would call it – “bud-dah”)...

Steamers…

Hubby was in charge of marinating the steaks and he did a great job, however one can only eat the same marinade of soy sauce and garlic for so long.  Tired of the same ole, same ole, I researched and researched (and researched), until the “savory steak marinade” was born.  It is so good (yes, it’s that good!) that my daughter will no longer order steak from a restaurant because it is “blah” in her words.

Any cut of steak will do…we usually stick to porterhouse, rib-eye, or NY strip.

Here’s what you need...

Ingredients...

A mixing bowl, measuring cup, whisk, and measuring spoons…

(Okay, let’s be honest, sometimes I just throw all of the ingredients into a Ziploc bag and voila, but that wouldn’t be pretty now, would it?)

Pour all of the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix well…

Place the steaks into a fancy marinade container (ahem…Ziploc bag) and pierce each steak 2-3 times with a knife…

 

 

Pour the marinade over the steaks, cover and refrigerate.  Yes, I know…right now you are questioning this recipe…the voice in your head (it’s okay, I have one too…okay more than one) is saying “I’ve NEVER seen a green marinade for steak?”  Don’t listen to the voice…walk away from the voice. 

 

Marinate overnight and grill.  Enjoy!!!

 

SAVORY STEAK MARINADE

1/3 C Soy Sauce

½ C Olive Oil

1/3 C Lemon Juice

¼ C Worcestershire Sauce

¼ Tsp Hot Sauce

1 ½ TBSP Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Onion Powder

3 TBSP Dried Basil

1 ½ TBSP Dried Parsley

¼ Tsp Paprika

1 TBSP Minced Garlic

 

Mix all of the above ingredients and place marinade over steaks.  Marinate overnight.

 Grill steaks to your liking. 

 

Hannah's Mac & Cheese

I made this dish for the first time ten years ago for my daughter's 1st Birthday (she will be 10 in a week...yikes!)  I usually lure my sister (who is a vegetarian) to all of our family gatherings, with promises of this dish. 

For me, this mac and cheese dish is the epitome of comfort food...tender little elbows pasta...snuggled with warm, gooey cheeses, nestled under a light blanket of toasted buttery bread crumbs............(sorry, I drifted away for a minute...okay, I'm back!)

Here's what you'll need...

1 lb extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb american cheese, grated
1 box of casserole elbows
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 C seasoned breadcrumbs
4 TBSP flour
2 C milk
2 tsp. dry mustard
splash of worcestershire
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook elbows according to package directions.  Meanwhile, melt 1 stick of butter in a large heavy saucepan (med-low.)  Slowly whisk in flour, blending well, followed by the milk, keeping sauce smooth as it cooks.  Bring slowly to a boiling point.

This is where the arm workout comes in (oh, I didn't tell you that??).  Slowly add the cheese, a little at a time, whisking constantly over low heat until the cheese is melted.  Continue to whisk for 2 minutes.  Stir in worcestershire, mustard, dash of S&P.  Drain elbows and pour into buttered casserole dish.  Add the cheese sauce and mix well. 

Melt the remaining 1/2 stick of butter and mix with breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the macaroni and cheese.  Sprinkle with remaining seasonings. 

Baked, uncovered, 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are browned. 

Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

"Not Yo' Mama's" Meatloaf

I know what you're thinking...meatloaf is blah...meatloaf is boring.  Yes, I also had the same "lack of love" for meatloaf. 

In search for my husband's "meatloaf approval", I finally came up with a recipe that is now one of his favorite meals.

Here's what you'll need...

1 1/2 lb Hamburg
1 Onion, diced & sauteed in butter
1 Egg, beaten
1 C Breadcrumbs
1 C Milk
2 TBSP Crushed Garlic
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

Glaze:

1/2 C Ketchup
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients except glaze ingredients.  Mix until just blended - do not overmix.  Shape into loaf and place in a greased baking dish. 

Prepare glaze by mixing all ingredients and pour over meatloaf.  Bake, uncovered, for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!!

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

I made this for Christmas and it was a hit.  What I really liked about it, aside from the ah-mazing taste, was that it stays hot for a really long time!  If you've ever hosted a dinner, you know just how helpful this is.

TWICE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 1 C sour cream
• 1/4 C chives, minced
• 2 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 Tsp salt
• 1/4 Tsp pepper

---

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.

 

Mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth.

 

Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon.

Buffalo Blue Chicken Dip

You will not find my husband watching the football game in our house without this by his side.  Chicken, Cheese, Blue Cheese and Ranch dressings, what's not to love?   

 2 8oz blocks of Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 C Blue Cheese dressing
1/2 C Ranch dressing
1 C Hot Sauce
1 C Shredded Mozarella (sometimes I add a mix of cheddar also)
2 C Shredded cooked Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend the cream cheese, dressings, and hot sauce. Stir in chicken. Layer a small casserole dish with 1/2 of mixture, sprinkle 1/2 of cheese, spread remaining mixture and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20 mins, uncovered, until cheese is melted.

Serve with Scoops or Fritos.

This is also great in a wrap!

Not Your Average "Chicken Cordon Bleu"

I have to be honest, Chicken Cordon Bleu just doesn't "do it" for me.  Something about the ham maybe, I just don't know??  Whenever a recipe calls for ham, I have a tendency to swap it out for bacon (bad, bad I know, but come on, who doesn't LOVE bacon???)  I have made so many variations of this recipe...with bacon...without bacon...cream cheese...whipped alouette garlic and herb spread...the possibilities are endless!  Go wild...get creative...I promise, you cannot mess this one up!

NOT YOUR AVERAGE "CHICKEN CORDON BLEU"

 4-6 Chicken Breasts, pounded thin
4-6 TBSP Cream Cheese
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
1 C Breadcrumbs
4-6 Pats of Butter
8-12 slices of bacon
S&P
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Season the chicken with S&P, garlic and onion powder. Spread about 1 TBSP of cream cheese on one side of chicken breast and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. Roll up chicken and dredge in breadcrumbs.

Place chicken in baking dish and cover top of chicken with bacon (can cut up slices to fit - 2 slices per chicken breast.) Place pats of butter between chicken (if I am omitting the bacon, I place the butter on top of chicken.)

Bake, uncovered, for 45 mins - 1 hr 15 mins. If bacon is not browned, place under broiler until crisp.

NOTE: I like my chicken well done! Please adjust the cooking time according to your liking.

Sweet Potato Fries w/Garlic Basil Mayo

Love, love, love these! 

There's something sinfully good about baked sweet potato fries.  Sweet, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Serve these babies with some garlic basil mayo for dipping and it brings them to a whole another level!  I love to make these with Burgers or BLTs.

SWEET POTATO FRIES w/GARLIC BASIL MAYO

2-3 Sweet Potatoes, cut into "fries"3 TBSP Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Dip:
3/4 C Mayo
1 Clove Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp prepared minced garlic)
1 TBSP dried Basil leaves
1 TBSP lemon juice
S&P

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place potatoes on large baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes, turning over fries about half way. Remove from oven and place on brown paper bag or newspaper.

Dip: Mix above ingredients and chill 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Natural Flu Remedy

I came upon this natural flu remedy this weekend and thought "that sounds yummy!"  (well aside from the garlic and cayenne in a drink!)
 
Turn on the news and all you hear about is flu, flu, flu. 
 
I would definitely give this drink a try myself!
 
Here's wishing everyone a healthy flu season.

 

NATURES FLU SHOT

JUICE OF 6 FRESH LEMONS

1 BULB OF GARLIC

2 TSP. GINGER POWDER

2 TBSP HONEY

3 CUPS PINEAPPLE JUICE

1/4 TSP CAYENNE POWDER 

 

BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS AND STORE IN A GLASS CONTAINER. 

DRINK 1 CUP 4 TIMES PER DAY UNTIL SYMPTOMS ARE GONE.

 

Sunday Roast Chicken

Mmmmmm....

There is something so comforting about the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven on a cold and dreary winter day.  This recipe is so easy...it is hard to believe something so simple can turn out soooo good (trust me, your taste buds will thank me!)

This dish is called "Sunday Roast Chicken" because you need to make it on a day when you will be home while it cooks.  It is worth the wait!!!

Here it is...

1 Roasting Chicken, rinsed and pat dry
2 TBSP Chicken Seasoning (I use McCormicks Montreal Chicken...yum!)
3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 C Water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

Mix the chicken seasoning with the olive oil & brush all over chicken and under the skin.  Place the chicken in a shallow pan (no rack.)  Pour water in bottom of pan (do not pour the water over the chicken - you will wash off all of that yummy goodness!)  Place in oven, uncovered. 

Baste every 45 minutes (set your timer - this is important!!)

Roast for exactly 6 hours.  (Yes, this is not a typo...I did say 6 hours!)

Enjoy!!

Oh Baby, Baby "BRAISED SHORT RIBS"

If a picture was worth a thousand smells...my oh my, this was heavenly. This can be made in a dutch oven or crockpot. I've done both methods and they are both wonderful. Here's the recipe...

Flour, Salt & Pepper
Beef... Short Ribs (any amount - I made 8 ribs)
1/4 C butter
1 C Onions, chopped
1 C Beef Broth
3/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Hot Sauce
2 TBSP Bourbon Glaze (or ketchup)
2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
2 TBSP minced Garlic

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Coat ribs w/flour, s & p. Brown ribs in butter in a Dutch Oven. Remove ribs. Add onions until soft. Return ribs to Dutch Oven. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover and bake 2 - 2 1/2 hours, until tender.

 

Rice Krispies, anyone?

Welcome to my blog!  All of my life, cooking has been my passion. 

In kindergarten class, we were asked what our favorite recipe was and how it is made.  My recipe was posted in the local newspaper.  My recipe was Rice Krispie Treats.  Now I'm pretty sure that the recipe went something like this..."1 box of cereal, 1 gallon of milk, 2 sticks of butter..."  (not sure what happened to the marshmallows?)

Growing up, I loved to cook, and my passion only grew stronger as the years went by.  When I got married and we started a family, I would find what seemed to be a great recipe, however there was always one or two ingredients that I didn't like...(Google became my best friend!)  I would read recipe after recipe...take a few ingredients from one...some from another...until it became my own. 

Now, I'm not going to lie...when I started experimenting with cooking as an adult, I was, ah-hem, "inexperienced."  I have a very good friend who will not let me forget about the time that I was roasting a chicken and I was waiting for the "popper" to pop up...(it was in the pan upside down?!)  I found myself addicted to cooking!  Cooking shows, cookbooks, cooking blogs, recipes...it's all I thought about (yes, I have a problem...)

My dishes tend to be hearty, comfort food (is there any other kind?)...yet simple.  I don't like complicated...(simple is good!)

I hope you will enjoy my recipes as much as my friends and family have.  Enjoy!