Delish Shrimp

Another Pinterest recipe.  Thanks Pinterest!  I love shrimp and this was lick-the-plate good.  No kidding. It's so easy that it's almost embarrassing:

Melt 1 stick of butter.
Slice 1 lemon and layer on top of melted butter.
Top with fresh shrimp.
Sprinkle 1 packet of dried Italian dressing mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins.

Warm Up with Chili

It's been a chilly day here and it's going to be an even colder night.  What better way to warm up than with a hearty bowl of chicken chili.  This recipe is in heavy rotation in our house during the winter months.  It's easy to make, smells great and tastes even better.

Southwest White Chicken Chili (serves 6)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

4 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

3/4 C. water (see note below)

1 1/2 C. frozen whole kernel corn

2 cans (15 oz. each) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Optional: sour cream, Cheddar cheese, cilantro

Heat oil in 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, onion, and pepper and cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender, stirring often.

Stir soup, water, corn and beans into saucepan and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with sour cream, Cheddar cheese or cilantro to serve.      

Note:  adding only 3/4 C. of water will make this chili very thick, especially the leftovers.  I like mine to be almost like a soup so I add additional water or chicken stock.  

My Recipe Pins

It seems crazy that since my blogging hiatus began in September, Pinterest has exploded into the social media site it is today. As much as I love the visual stimulation/inspiration Pinterest provides, it's easy to get caught up in the occasional thought of "my kitchen needs to be remodeled and look exactly like that person's pin." Or "I'm a bad mom for not throwing my 4-year old a perfect birthday party." That's when Pinterest gets dangerous. 

I've used some of my 300+ pins for inspiration but - gasp - I haven't really done much with them. I have a board of recipes that is collecting dust (just like my cookbooks -- I LOVE collecting recipes) and I think it's about time for me to start cooking! What recipes have you tried via Pinterest? I'm thinking about making these over the next couple months:

Mini Caprese Salad Bites

Bacon Zucchini Frittata

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Thursday Threes.

There's a theme to today's installment of Thursday Threes.

One.

 Via

We have become addicted to the Food Network show "Chopped" this summer. If you haven't watched it, let me explain the premise: 4 chefs compete to create a dish using mystery ingredients 3 times (appetizer, entree, dessert) in 20-30 minutes. At the end of the dessert round, there's only 1 chef remaining and she/he wins 10 grand. The show moves at a fast pace (typical game/reality show) but our favorite aspect is the mystery ingredients because most of the time Lee and I say out loud "what the heck is that?!" And then they throw in weird stuff, like the time cherry-flavored cough drops were in the "mystery basket" (you know, the candy-like ones that aren't really medicinal).

Two. 

Aaron Sanchez - my favorite Chopped judge

 Via

Gee, I wonder why my pants have become tight? Could it be because I watch one episode of "Chopped" every night? Watching cooking shows around 9pm makes me hungry and I inevitably end up grabbing a snack during the commercial break. Soooo, in summary : our summer of "Chopped" + slower metabolism of a 40-year old = weight gain.

Three.

These are sunchokes. I'd never heard of them before Chopped. See, tv is educational!

 Via

It's also a tiny bit gratifying to see trained chefs make simple mistakes that I make all the time such as overcooking pasta and not thoroughly cleaning artichokes. Apparently, even CIA graduates can still have sloppy cooking techniques....that makes me feel better. I'm mean, I know.

Herb Quinoa

I'm a sucker for any recipe containing feta cheese and herbs. Combined, they deliver a punch of flavor. Add in any type of grain or pasta (quinoa, couscous, barley, etc) and I'm sold. That's why I saved this recipe. Oh and it was a big plus that I didn't have to turn on the oven :)

Quinoa Toss with Chickpeas and Herbs

(courtesy of Good Housekeeping Magazine)

1 C. quinoa

2 C. chicken or vegetable broth

2 ears fresh corn or 1 C. frozen corn, thawed

1 15-oz. can chickpeas

1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese

1/4 C. finely chopped sweet onion

3 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil

2 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 C. olive oil

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 C. diced, cooked beets

Romaine leaves

Rinse quinoa in fine mesh sieve under cold running water, drain. In saucepan bring broth to boiling. Add quinoa. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 mins. or until broth is absorbed. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.

Cut corn from cobs. Rinse and drain chickpeas. In bowl combine quinoa, corn, chickpeas, cheese, onion, and herbs. For dressing, in bowl whisk together oil, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add to quinoa mixture; toss to coat.

Cover and let stand at least 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving. Stir in beets just before serving. Serve in bowls lined with romaine leaves. Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.

My notes: This was a little more time consuming that other recipes I've put on my blog. First of all, who has a fine sieve for quinoa?  Quinoa is too tiny for my normal sieve so I had to use a teeny one I use mostly for straining tea leaves and lemon juice so I had to rinse the quinoa in portions (it looked ridiculous). That was a little annoying; I hadn't read that part before starting the recipe. Also, I ended up having to use frozen corn (it was fine) and a regular purple onion (the sweet one would have been better). The other time consuming part was the chopping/snipping -- have I stated before that I stink at chopping? I'm slow and I don't cut up everything evenly. I'm trying to get better but I'm still slow. It takes a while to snip 5 tablespoons of herbs. Maybe I was being too particular. Anyway, Lee looked alarmed when he saw me add the beets at the end (he doesn't like beets -- I did not know this. It's funny how you continually learn things about your spouse). But the beets were really more for color than flavor, in my opinion. Lee didn't have a problem with them.

Mmmmm Meatloaf

I've tried several meatloaf recipes over the years and I believe the one below is the best. It's incredibly basic but flavorful. The key ingredient: horseradish. I know, it's a little odd but trust me when I say it's really good. Give it a try - you won't regret it (and if you wrinkle your nose as you measure out the horseradish, that's okay because that's what I do too.) Here's the recipe and my alterations are below:

Full disclosure: mint sprig added to make this photo look somewhat professional

Mom's Meatloaf

(courtesy of FoodNetwork.com / Diners Drive-In and Dives)

1 tsp. prepared horseradish

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 lb. ground beef, moistened

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 egg

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 C. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the horseradish, mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix ground beef, onion, egg, and Worcestershire sauce. Add contents of small bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the bread crumbs and combine well. 

Place mixture into a 1-lb. loaf pan. Pour ketchup over top and place in oven. Bake uncovered for 45-60 mins. Makes 4 servings.

My alterations: I've made this with 1 tsp. horseradish (as directed) and with two. I think doubling the horseradish is the way to go. I also have made this with beef and with ground turkey. We prefer the turkey version. I've only used regular bread crumbs but I'm thinking the Italian crumbs might be interesting. I also use whatever onion I have on hand -- yellow, purple, etc. And if you're in sweltering weather somewhere else in the US (it was a lovely 76 degrees here today - not to rub your nose in it or anything) and you don't want to eat hot meatloaf, use the leftovers for cold meatloaf sandwiches; they're yummy!

Prepare to Salivate

I came across a blog the other day that, I guarantee, you'll be addicted to. It's titled Whisk Kid and is written by a 20-year old student at Michigan State University (where does she find the time??). This blog is pure sugar. Literally. Beautiful photos, yummy recipes, and endearing stories. This is the go-to blog if you need to "wow" your friends & family with a beautiful cake or sweet treat. What were you doing at 20? I certainly wasn't doing anything this professional....

 whisk-kid.blogspot.com

(Source) 

This is a photo of one of Whisk Kid's fun creations. 

Tonight's Dinner Was a Winner

I've been cooking more than usual lately. The recipes I've picked out have been a little out of my comfort zone (usually "drop pasta in boiling water") and have generally been healthier. My expectations for tonight's dinner were pretty low -- it was a recipe I pulled out of Good Housekeeping Magazine. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be pretty great. "I want to eat this once a week," Lee said. Okay, that's a great sign! The ingredients may sound boring or unappealing but the flavor was truly fabulous; the dish also comes together easily. Just so you know, I don't like olives and only eat raw cauliflower dipped in ranch dressing (ha!) but I really, really liked this dish. I think I've said that enough so onto the recipe:

Chicken with Carmelized Cauliflower & Green Olives

1 head cauliflower (2.5-3 lbs.), trimmed and cut into 1.5-inch chunks

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1.5 lbs. chicken breast tenders, cut into 1.5-inch chunks

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

1/4 c. slivered almonds

1/3 c. pitted green olives, rinsed well

1/4 c. packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus additional for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In 18" by 12" jellyroll pan, combine cauliflower, 2 teaspoons oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until well mixed. Spread cauliflower in single layer on pan. Roast 20 to 25 minutes or until cauliflower is golden brown.

2. While cauliflower roasts, in large bowl, combine chicken, lemon peel, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Push cauliflower to one side of pan and arrange chicken in single layer on other side. Roast 10 minutes longer or until chicken just loses its pink color throughout.

3. Meanwhile, in food processor with knife blade attached, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add olives and parsley and pulse until almost smooth. With machine running, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil until it's fully incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add mixture to pan with hot chicken and cauliflower and stir until well combined. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with additional parsley. 


Lame photo (I was hungry and in a hurry to eat):

(No, I did not serve this to Nate -- I wanted to test it out first. He'll be getting it for dinner soon. The taste was mild enough that I think kids would like it. And see that paper in the upper left corner of the photo? That would be my jury duty summons. Doh!!!)

Serves 4. Each serving: 360 calories, 45 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate, 15 g total fat, 6 g fiber, 99 mg cholesterol, 660 mg sodium

Chicken Spaghetti

We cooked the Pioneer Woman's chicken spaghetti over the weekend. You can find the recipe in her cookbook and here. The final product looked like this (PW's picture on her website looks WAY better than this):

It serves 6-8 but it felt like we ended up with a ton of food. I've been serving it for leftovers now for a couple days....we're ready to move onto something else. Overall, I'd say it wasn't the best dish I've ever had but it was pretty good and one I'll keep in rotation. I'll end with this little story: the recipe calls for a fryer chicken that's  been cut up but I didn't pay attention to the "cut up" part and wrote "fryer chicken" on my shopping list, thus I had to cut it up myself (I'm not smart). I've never done that before and was tempted to become a vegetarian after doing so. "You've never cut up a whole chicken??" Lee asked me with astonishment when I told him about my disturbing experience with a large knife and a chicken carcass. I guess I've always bought chicken in its respected parts -- a package of breasts or a package of legs. Judging by Lee's face and response, this is weird. Maybe it's a California thing...

Simple App

We took this appetizer to a party last night and everybody seemed to enjoy them. My only gripe is that I went by the recipe in the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and not by the recipe on her website. She neglects to tell you in the cookbook to buy small jalapenos -- I just picked out what was at the store and they were too big. So big that we ran out of filling before we were halfway done filling them up. She's also made a few modifications in the cookbook by adding cheddar cheese & green onion to the filling and brushing BBQ sauce or apricot jelly on top of the bacon before putting them in the oven. Can you say yum?? Click on the recipe name below to see PW's glorious photos.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

(source)

Joe #6

In honor of the cooler weather (and by cooler, I mean 90s and not 110!!), I'm bringing you an autumnal Trader Joe's turkey recipe. 

 

Turkey with Green Chile Sauce

1 lb. turkey cutlets

1 Tblsp. olive oil

3 cubes frozen crushed garlic

1 C. Blackthorn Fermented Cider or dry white wine

2 Tblsp. Trader Joe's Fire-Roasted Diced Green Chiles

1/2 C. ripe Brie, rind removed

Salt and pepper

Season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper.  In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.  Add the turkey cutlets in a single layer and cook until barely seared on both sides, about 2 minutes (work in batches, if necessary).  Remove to a platter.  Add the hard cider or wine to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until the cider is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Return the cutlets to the pan and cook through.  Remove again to the serving platter and keep warm. Add the chopped chiles and Brie to the saute pan and simmer until cheese melts and sauce is thickened.  Pour over cutlets and serve.  Makes 4 servings.

A Yummy Summer Meal

 

Roasted Potatoes, Shrimp, and Pancetta

2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 Lb. boiling potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/4 C. diced pancetta
2 cubes frozen crushed garlic
1/4 Tsp. red chile pepper flakes (I used less)
1 Lb. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I couldn't find raw large shrimp so I used raw jumbo)
1/4 C. dry white wine (I used more)
salt and pepper
2 Tblsp. chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat over to 450 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof saute pan and saute the potatoes over medium-high heat until softened and golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the pancetta, garlic, red chile pepper flakes, shrimp, and white wine.  Season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.  Place the pan into the preheated oven and roast until shrimp are just cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Garnish with chopped parsley.  Serves 4-6.

Green Beans with Red Onion and Creamy Feta Dressing

1 16-oz. package fresh green beans, trimmed and steamed
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Dressing:
3/4 C. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 C. plain yogurt
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tblsp. chopped basil, for garnish

Arrange green beans on a serving plate and scatter most of the red onion slices over the surface, reserving a few.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients (the dressing will be thick, with pieces of feta throughout).  Dollop the dressing over the salad and garnish with reserved red onion slices and basil.  Serves 4-6.

Crunch Munch

Homemade salad croutons

+ 

my new favorite salad dressing

= perfection!

I cut up stale sandwich bread, toss the bread with melted butter and 2-3 cubes each of these lovely guys:

Toast them in a 300F oven until they look brown on both sides (turn them over once or twice during baking).  Let them cool completely for added crunch.

Joe 5, Julia 0

This recipe is in the dessert section of my Trader Joe's cookbook (go here to learn more about this cookbook and my project).  Honestly, I really think it's a waste to make a dessert using Trader Joe ingredients because the store has so many wonderful pre-made desserts in the freezer and bakery sections.  But this one is easy (there's that buzzword again) and can be done using ingredients from anywhere.

Berry-Zin Sauce

1 bottle of drinkable but not expensive Zinfandel

1 16-oz. bag frozen Berry Medley (or a bag of frozen raspberries OR use a mix of fresh berries since they're in season and it seems ridiculous to use frozen berries in the middle of June)

1 cup of sugar

Several grinds of black pepper

Ice cream or pound cake to eat with your yummy sauce :)

Place all ingredients in a saute pan (not a saucepan - you want more surface area for more efficient reduction) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes (it took longer for me), until mixture is reduced to two cups.  Strain through a sieve to remove seeds (the sauce is strained in the picture above but next time I'm going to skip this part because I like having the fruit "bits" in the sauce).  Store the extra sauce in your frig for about a week (if it lasts that long!)

Other notes:  We ate our vanilla ice cream and cinammon graham crackers with the Berry-Zin Sauce while it was still warm the night I made it.  A couple nights later, we had it cold and I think I prefer it that way.  Also, the flavors had meshed together after 48 hours and I liked the taste a lot.  

This is a fun recipe to play around with so now it's your turn :)

Joe 4, Julia 0

Go here to learn the history of these cooking posts....

I made this as an appetizer on Easter and it was good enough for us to eat as "dessert" earlier this week.  It takes literally 10 minutes to pull together: 

Brie and Pear Galette

1 Trader Joe's Pie Crust, thawed

4 oz. Brie (rind removed), cubed (I used a little more)

1 pear, thinly sliced (I prefer a large pear)

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

fresh ground black pepper

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Place the pie dough on a baking sheet and scatter half the Brie over the center, leaving the edges clean.  Arrange the sliced pears on top of the Brie.  Scatter the pecans on top, and then add the remaining Brie.  Fold the edges of the dough in to create a "picture frame" around the filling leaving the center exposed.  Grind a little black pepper over the filling and bake 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden (I had to bake mine 25-27 mins but that might be my oven).  Cut into wedges or squares to serve.  Serves 4-6.

I wish my food photos were as attractive as the Pioneer Woman's.

The spotted cookie sheet doesn't help....

Joe 3, Julia 0

We just finished eating dinner and I decided I should share this recipe right away because 1) it's pretty darn good and 2) it's perfect for the rainy weekend we've got ahead of us here in Southern California.

(PS -- if you're keeping track, I'm really, really behind on my Trader Joe's-inspired cooking.  Note to self: future post needs to be done on how I procrastinate a lot and have a commitment problem.  Maybe.  I don't know that I'll get around to it....)

Creamy Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pesto Gnocchi

1 (32-oz.) container Trader Joe's Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
4 oz. mascarpone
1/3 (6.17-oz) package of potato gnocchi
roughly 4 Tblsp. Trader Giotto's Pesto alla Genovese
salt and pepper

I'm going to use that word again -- easy.  This recipe really is a piece of cake.  And because you'll have some left over ingredients, you can make the soup again at the end of the week (so buy 2 containers of the tomato soup).

Heat the soup, then stir in the mascarpone.  While the soup heats, bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Add the gnocchi and boil just until they bob to the surface, 3-4 minutes.  Scoop them out and set aside.  Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and add a few gnocchi to each serving.  Drizzle a little pesto into each serving (I love pesto so I drizzled more than a little).

I don't have a picture because I was too hungry to grab my camera.  We ate the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad.  Yum.

Joe 2, Julia 0

Before Christmas, Lee and I finally watched "Julie & Julia" courtesy of Netflix.  The movie was great -- how can you not use the word "great" to describe a Meryl Streep movie? (Incidentally, after hearing Meryl's funny acceptance speech on the Golden Globes, I've added her to my list of "people I'd like to be my friend.")  Anyway, the movie inspired Lee and I (like every other movie-goer) to consider cooking a Julia Child recipe.  In a state of delusion, I thought "how hard can it be?"  After a couple days of mulling it over, reality set in and I decided I am in no way capable of pulling off a fancy French recipe a la Julia.  While cooking for my family brings me more joy than it used to when I was a single gal, I really need to stick with recipes that are for amateurs.  I'm not Julia Child nor do I even strive to be.  In fact, dumb down Bettie Crocker and just maybe you can get an idea of my skill level and creativity in the kitchen.

So after saying goodbye to the Julia Child fantasy, I had a spark of genius.  In the movie,  Julie Powell makes every recipe in Julia's cookbook in one year.  Why not do the same thing but with this cookbook:

A coworker gave it to me for Christmas.  All 166 recipes in this cookbook are obviously easy and consist of Trader Joe's ingredients.  I love Trader Joe's!!  I could do this!  At some point in our lives, our family may not live in a state where there is a Trader Joe's (just typing those words makes me hyperventilate) so I really need to cook from it now before it becomes obselete (or is sold in our "goodbye California" garage sale).  Therefore, my goal is to cook every recipe in it in 2010 and I will document my progress occasionally on this blog (only occasionally because my intention is not to switch this into a cooking or foodie blog -- Nate is way cuter than most foods -- I said most because marshmallow Peeps are pretty darn cute).  To those of you not in a Trader Joe's "zone" -- sorry, I offer my condolences and hope they open a store in your state soon.  It won't hurt my feelings if you skip reading my TJ cooking posts.  So let's jump right in because I've already gotten started...

A couple nights ago, I made a soup recipe using proscuitto pasta, carrots, and peas.  It was simple (I'm going to use that word a lot).   We liked it -- Lee rated it an 8 out of 10 stars.  This could be a good recipe to get Nate to eat some veggies when he's older.  I'm sharing this brief review because it demonstrates where I'm starting from -- I never would have thought to put pasta in chicken broth and add other ingredients.  My imagination just doesn't go there.  So sad.  Anyway, here's a photo:

Last night's dinner raised the bar tremendously.   I heard things like "man, that was great", "I could swim in that sauce", and "this is a 9.9!" come out of my husband's mouth.  Apparently he liked it.  So here's a picture (which doesn't do it justice) and the recipe to "Cherry Pork with a Kick":

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4 inch thick medallions

1 Tblsp. olive oil

3/4 C. Trader Joe's Cherry Preserves

3 Tblsp. creme fraiche

dash of Trader Joe's Chili Pepper Hot Sauce or Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce

salt and pepper

Season pork with salt and pepper.  In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute pork medallions, in batches, until they are browned and nearly cook through, about 6 minutes (I don't know what nearly cook through looks like so I cooked them all the way using my meat thermometer and prayed they wouldn't be dry -- they weren't!).  Remove to a warm platter.  In the same saute pan, melt the cherry preserves and stir in the creme fraiche.  Season to taste with hot sauce, salt, and pepper.  Return pork and any accumulated juices to the pan and simmer briefly to marry the flavors.

Yes, I wanted to marry the flavors after eating this dish.  It was great.  We served it over Trader Joe's frozen brown rice and had steamed asparagus on the side.  Heavenly. 

This is going to be a great culinary adventure.  And hopefully we won't get too fat in the process...

Oh Boy Oreos

I've scoured the Internet for new Christmas treat recipes and have come up with some new favorites (my hips say thank you).  So here's a decadent chocolate dessert that's good for these reasons:

Easy!

Travels well, if you're bringing potluck

Easy!

Great presentation

Easy!

Rich chocolately taste

Did I mention easy?

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients: 1 box of Oreos or similar sandwich cookie (didn't try using the mint filling ones but I bet they'd be good); 8 oz. of cream cheese (softened); 2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips/chocolate bars

Directions: Crush all of the Oreos until they're fine.  You can use a rolling pin and 1-2 zip lock bags or a Cuisinart.  I've tried both ways -- the Cuisinart is definitely easier.  Mix 3 cups of the Oreo crumbs and the cream cheese thoroughly.  Using a spoon for this takes a long time; I prefer using my (clean!) hands.  Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls; you'll end up with approximately 40-45.  Put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and then refrigerate for 1 hour so they can harden up a bit.  Melt the semi-sweet chocolate however you like (microwave, stovetop, etc.).  Remove the truffles from the frig and "roll" them in the melted chocolate.  I used 2 forks to get each one covered in chocolate and carefully put them back on the wax paper.  You'll need to work pretty fast so that the melted chocolate doesn't get too thick and that the truffles stay cold (when they warm up, they're harder to coat).  You'll see from the photo that I also coated some in white chocolate -- it didn't melt as smoothly as the dark semi-sweet chocolate but the white chocolate fan in our house (Lee) seemed to like them.  Decorate the truffles as you go along -- sprinkle the remaining Oreo crumbs over the tops or use crushed candy canes.  When done, put them all back in the frig for a couple hours or at least until the chocolate hardens.  If you give them out as gifts, remember to tell the recipients to keep the truffles in the frig -- a cold truffle is a good truffle :)

Crackles for Kris Kringle

Jessica Turner is hosting a virtual cookie recipe exchange tomorrow (Thurs. Dec. 10th), so check out her blog here so you can drool over lots of tasty Christmas treats.  Here's my submission:

Call me strange, but I'd rather eat a spice cookie than a chocolate chip one (I told you I was odd).  This recipe has loads of lovely spice flavor and, as an added bonus, will make your  house smell wonderful when they're baking in the oven.  This recipe is in my Top 5 Christmas Cookie collection.  Enjoy!

Four Spice Crackles 

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2/3 cup coarse granulated sugar

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter, and shortening.  Stir in the molasses and egg.  Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until everything is incorporated.  Cover and chill dough for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.

Roll the chilled dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll each ball in the coarse sugar.  If you do not have coarse sugar, you can use regular sugar (I use colored coarse sugar on 1/2 of my dough).  Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 9-12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are cracked on top but still soft in the center (9 mins. will give you a softer cookie -- I push for the full 12 because I like mine crisp).  Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.  Store cooled cokies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  Makes 4 dozen.

Nate says:  "Forget the cookies...I want to play with the wire rack!"

Fruits of Our Labor

Dinner one night last week consisted of homemade pizza with tomatoes, basil, and green peppers from our garden. It was delish! Because we had a bumper crop of heritage tomatoes, we also had BLT sandwiches last week...oh, so good! I don't really like eating tomatoes straight but I'll eat them when they're mixed in with something or baked in a dish. I'm not a picky eater, honest!!