Erin's Famous Snickerdoodles

(I have to admit that I didn't invent this recipe, but everyone I know LOVES these cookies and I'm pretty much remembered by them. So I will now claim them for me.)

1 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cream of tartar

Cream shortening, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg. Add dry ingredients into cream mixture. Mix well and roll into balls. Roll in sugar (and cinnamon, if desired). Put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Yield: about 5 dozen "erin-sized" cookies (translation: SMALL cookies).

Sausage and Pepper Calzones

(Please don't judge this recipe by the picture. I know it's horrible.)

Dough:

2 3/4 c. flour, divided

1 c. warm water

1 package yeast (about 2 1/4 t.)

Dash of sugar

1 T. olive oil

3/4 t. kosher salt

Filling:

1 t. olive oil

2 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 2)

1 c. chopped onion (about 1)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. chicken apple sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3/4 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. no-salt-added tomato sauce

1/4 c. 2% low-fat cottage cheese

2 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

To prepare dough, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

To prepare filling, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cool slightly. Add mozzarella and remaining ingredients to sausage mixture; stir well.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup sausage mixture onto half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over filling; crimp edges of dough with fingers to seal. Place calzones on a large baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Pierce the tops of the dough once with a fork. Lightly coat the calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 14 or 40 minutes or until browned. (WHY the discrepancy? The magazine said 40, but online says 14. Ours were pretty tough, so maybe check them at 15 minutes, but don't hesitate to keep going.) Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Place 1 calzone on coated side of foil; seal. Repeat procedure with remaining calzones and cooking spray. Place calzones in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze.

To reheat, place foil-wrapped, frozen calzones on a large baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Notes from me: These were really good. Chuck and I both enjoyed them. Again, please ignore how not-so-appetizing the picture makes them appear, but what can you do? About the recipe, I have no idea what apple sausage is, but I used our regular Turkey sausage found at Giant. We used only one (because I didn't read) green (because I'm cheap) pepper. The whole process takes a bit of time, but again, they tasted great and now we have five calzones waiting for us in the freezer. I really love that!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Mix together first 4 ingredients and set aside.
Prepare fruit (measure fruit all the way to the top of a 4 cup measuring cup) and set aside.
In a small bowl mix remaining flour, sugar and butter. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter. Set aside.

Make crust or buy a pre-bought crust, For grandma's crust, mix 3 cups flour and 3/4 tsp. salt together. Cut in with a pastry blender 1 cup Crisco. Add 1/2 cup warm water and mix
only until pieces come together. Roll out and place in a deep dish pyrex pie pan.

Add fruit to egg mixture and mix well. Pour into pie crust and top with crumb topping.
Cut 3 pieces of foil and carefully cover edge of crust.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 35-40 minutes.
Cool about 20-30 minutes before serving.
TOTALLY YUMMY!!!!

Turkey Wraps With Herbed White Bean Spread

1 can (15 oz) white beans (such as navy or cannellini) rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp. dried
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 large (10-12 inch) flour tortillas
3/4 # thinly sliced roast turkey breast
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 oz. shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup arugula or baby spinach leaves
Chips (optional)

Combine beans, oil, juice, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides, for bean spread. (Can be made ahead. Cover and chill up to 2 days.)

Spread bean spread on one side of each tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Arrange turkey down center of each tortilla; layer with tomato, onion, cheese and arugula. Starting at one end, tightly roll each tortillas and place, seam side down, on a serving plate. Cut crosswise in half and serve with chips, if desired.

*We had this last night and it was sooooo easy and yummy. Enjoy!!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Line a broiling pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.
4. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Shoepeg Salsa

2 chopped tomatoes

1 chopped zucchini

1/2 c. chopped green onions

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1/2 c. picante salsa

1 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

3/4 t. garlic

1/2 t. cumin

Mix everything together and chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge.

Note: I love this so much that I can eat it like it's gazpacho! Yum, yum.

Turkey Mini Meat Loaves

1 c. chopped onion
6 T. dry breadcrumbs
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. black pepper
1 lb. turkey breast
2 egg whites
6 T. ketchup, divided
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Combine onion, breadcrumbs, and next 7 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl. Stir in 4 tablespoons ketchup. Spoon about 1 cup meat mixture into each of 6 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; place muffin tin on a baking sheet. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl. Brush ketchup mixture over meat loaf tops. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.

Chuck and I really liked these! I had never before made meat loaf and Chuck had never before eaten it! We fed these to the missionaries and they seemed to like them as well. I'm sure you could easily substitute ground beef for the ground turkey. Nutritional info: 142 calories and 1.5g of fat per meat loaf.

Potato Chip Chicken

I am posting this recipe at the request of NCKuhn! What an honor to have a recipe requested!

There are really no exact measurements for this recipe, but it is sooo easy and always a crowd pleaser. It's easy to make as chicken strips too.

Chicken Breasts (as many for those eating)
Crushed potato chips (I use plain, but I am sure any flavor would be tasty, just omit the garlic powder)
Melted butter
Garlic Powder (not garlic salt because it is way way way too salty with the chips)

Place each chicken breast in the bowl of chips and generously coat on both sides. Place chicken in casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until chips are golden brown.

Easiest Alfredo Ever - and it's light!

1 8oz. Block of light Cream Cheese
1 Can of light Chicken Broth
1 Cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Powder to taste

Bring Chicken broth to medium heat (not boiling.)
Add Parmesan and let it melt.
Add cream cheese
Stir until all is dissolved and texture is smooth and consistent.
Add Garlic powder to taste.

Note. Take your time melting the Parmesan into the broth before adding other ingredients. Otherwise it can turn out kind of gritty. Still tastes great, but just not as smooth.
Also, we never make it light, but you could. Maybe one day we will.

Thai Chicken Pizza

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about two small-ish breasts)
1/2 c. Simply Enjoy ginger sesame salad dressing
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
pizza crust (we always use this recipe, but can use store-bought stuff as well)
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Brush each piece of chicken with one teaspoon dressing. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Grill until cooked thoroughly. (We use the Foreman, of course, but you could do on outdoor grill or on grill pan.) Cut into 1/2-inch strips. In medium saucepan set over low heat, combine remaining ginger dressing, onions, carrots, pepper flakes, and chicken. Once warmed, top on pizza and then sprinkle with desired amount of cheese (we didn't use much). Bake in pre-heated oven (on pizza stone if you have one) for 7 minutes.

I included the picture of the dressing so you know what you're looking for. We used about half of the bottle, so will have more when we do this again! This was available at our local Giant, but I'm sure there are substitutes that could easily be made.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Brownie Crust:

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/8 tsp. baking powder

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" springform pan. Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave; cool. Blend flour and baking powder in bowl. In mixer, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy (about 4 min.) Scrape sides and add in melted chocolate, vanilla, and chopped chocolate. Add dry ingredients until just blended. Spread 1 cup brownie batter over bottom of pan. Bake 17-19 minutes, until firm. Cool in freezer for 15 minutes.

Filling:

1 1/2 pkg. (12-oz.) cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Blend cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and sour cream; mix until smooth. Add peanut butter until smooth. Using a small knife, spread remaining brownie batter around sides of pan, sealing to baked crust. Pour in filling - it won't be as high as brownie batter. Bake for 30 minutes, until center is set and sides have fallen to form 1" ring around filling.

Topping:

3/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

Blend together and spread to 3/4" of edge. Bake for 1 more minute. While hot, set on a rack and with small sharp knife, go around edge of top only to loosen. Cool. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides and decorate with peanut butter piped through pastry bag; drizzle semisweet chocolate, as desired.

Invitation

It has recently come to my attention that some people I know DO NOT read this blog. That is the bad news. BUT it has also recently come to my attention that some people I don't even know DO read this blog. That is the very good news! For those of you who just stumbled upon us through other blogs or just word of mouth (we're very hot in Japan right now), if you want to join our little recipe-sharing community, let me know and I will hook you up. We always welcome new contributors. Simply email me at erinmalia at gmail dot com. Blogging is quite easy and no serious commitment is necessary. We won't put your name on any crazy distribution list (you probably have enough Viagra anyway, although, can you really have enough of that stuff?!) and you don't have to disclose anything that you don't want. Nor do you have to have your own blog to do this. You simply need an invite from me and a user name.

Or if you'd rather not be a blog author, that's fine too. Just come back and read and drool. We certainly do!

Chicken Lasagna Alfredo

A couple of things: If you want it like traditional lasagna, use lasagna noodles. I just really like the bow tie. It makes a lot of food. If you are a smaller family, you might want to prepare it in two pans and freeze one before cooking.

This meal is seriously one of our favorites. Tons of flavor!

16 oz bow tie pasta
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce (or buy the dry packet and prepare it-it makes 8 oz, I just add another cup of milk)
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts in water (don't get the ones in a marinade), drained and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 cups shredded mozz. cheese
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves, about 4 oz. (I don't really measure this, I just use the whole bag)
oven 375

Cook pasta using shortest cook time; drain and set aside.

Combine Alfredo sauce, additional milk, and oregano. whisk until blended and set aside.

Chop artichokes, and combine with chicken, onion, garlic, and both cheeses. Mix well.
Spread 2/3 cup Alfredo sauce over bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with half of the noodles, layer half the spinach over the noodles; top with half the chicken mixture. Repeat the layers starting with half of the remaining sauce. After layering, pour remaining sauce over top of casserole.

Cover pan with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more.
Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Shrimp and King Crab Fettuccine with Olives and Artichokes

4 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion
1 pound raw headless shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup chicken broth
8 ounces king crab meat, chopped
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup sliced green olives (optional)
1 2 1/4-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add garlic, shallot, shrimp, oregano and garlic powder. Sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in crab, artichokes and olives and heat through.
3. Toss with fettuccine. Garnish with parmesan and parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings.

A New Label - Tips

So I haven't posted any recipes lately because I've been busy trying all the new ones from the site. I seriously love this and am so glad so many people post all sorts of different recipes - it's great!

But I thought we could have another label of "tips." Random tips that anybody has for anything. So I'll go first:

Tip #1 - For a lot of my bakings that include chocolate (cookies, cakes, even icing) I like to substitute almond flavoring for vanilla. Of course some things this wouldn't work, but I really like the flavor of chocolate and almond. YUM.

Tip #2 - When making more than 1 loaf of bread, I keep one loaf out to eat in the next couple of days. If I have any more than that, I slice up the loaf/loaves and stick it in the freezer - that way it is ready to go for toast, sandwiches, etc., without having to get a whole loaf out. Also, I really like ot make mini-loaves for the kids. The slices are the perfect sizes for toast and sandwiches.

There ya go!

Blueberries with Muffin

Muffins:
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. skim milk
2 egg whites
1 1/2 c. blueberries (if frozen, don't thaw)

Topping:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. skim milk
2 T. flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, egg whites, and milk. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet in two additions until well moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter between 6 jumbo muffin tins (that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray). Fill each tin about 2/3 full.

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients and mix well with a fork. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins and very gently press down with your fingertips (just enough to get the topping to adhere to the batter). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing them the tin. (I don't have jumbo muffin tins, so I just did regular. I got 15 muffins.)

Note from erin: I posted these here not because they're the greatest muffins out there, but because they are super low-calorie and no-fat (0 grams of fat and 90 calories per muffin, to be specific). But given those (usually taste-restricting) qualities, they're actually pretty good! You can see from the picture that I didn't do the topping. This is simply because I am HORRIBLE at crumb toppings. Just horrible. But I'm sure they would be really great with it. And I named them "blueberries with muffin" because Chuck and I really thought there was a LOT of blueberries in here. So if you like blueberries, then great! If not, reduce blueberries to probably 1 cup.

Indian Chicken Curry

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
cloves to taste
salt to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - bite-size pieces
3-4 small red potatoes - small cubes so they will cook through
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt
1-2 cans coconut milk (depends on how spicy you like it and the consistency you prefer)
1/2 lemon, juiced
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (depends on how spicy you like it)
Mango or Pinapple chuncks (desired amount, I just eyeball it)
Jasmine or Basmati rice

DIRECTIONS: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar, cloves and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, potato cubes, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice, mangos or pineapple and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice. Can also be served with Naan bread. YUMMY!

Chicken and Black Bean Taquitos

Makes 20 taquitos

Taquitos:
1/2 pound diced skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 or 1 1/2 breasts)
1 c. (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I use half of a can, not half cup)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, undrained
10 8-inch flour tortillas

Adobo sour cream:
1 c. reduced-fat sour cream (or fat-free)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 t. minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce

Cook the chicken (can do on the Foreman or just boil it) and then dice it. Place chicken in a food processor. Add cheese, beans, and green chiles; pulse 15-20 times or until beans are coarsely chopped.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons chicken mixture across the lower third of each tortilla; roll up. Cut each tortilla in half; secure with toothpick. Place taquitos in a large zip-loc bag; freeze up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen taquitos on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes; turn taquitos, and coat with cooking spray. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden.

To prepare adobo sour cream, combine sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle chile. Stir well.

Per taquito: 125 calories and 4 grams of fat. Takes about 40 minutes to prepare. Chuck and I love these! They're so nice to have on hand because they're already done and just need to be baked. I don't make the adobo sour cream, but just dip them in plain sour cream, although I'm sure it would be great with the chiles added.

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

1 c. plus 2 T. ketchup

1 c. water

1/3 c. cider vinegar

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 T. onion powder

1 T. chili powder

1 T. ground black pepper

1 1/2 T. molasses

3/4 t. ground celery seed

1/2 t. smoked salt

teeny bit liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Chuck and I used this recipe for two meals. For the first meal, we simply grilled two chicken breasts, smothered in the sauce, on the Foreman grill. For the second meal, we cooked two chicken breasts (without sauce) on the Foreman grill, shredded the chicken, and then took the chicken and put it into the sauce, and then ate on buns. The sauce is really good! We didn't use the smoked salt (cuz what the heck is it!?), but instead used regular salt and the TINIEST bit (like one drop) of liquid smoke.