Sunday, September 17, 2023

Mom's Pot Pie

 This is the yummiest pot pie.  It comes from my mom's old recipe book...I think the green one.  It takes some effort (it's easy, but time-consuming), so while you're at it, make a second batch to freeze.


Filling:

3 cups cooked diced potatoes

2 cups cooked diced carrots

1 cup cooked peas

Protein of choice (typically chicken, but I like to substitute lentils :))

(These measurements are from my mom's original recipe book.  I never measure.)


Gravy:

7 Tbsp. butter

7 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup milk or cream (I've always used milk)

2 cups chicken broth

Dash nutmeg

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Pinch tarragon


Arrange filling mixture in casserole or shallow baking pan (I typically use a 9x13 glass pan).

Melt butter in sauce pan.  

Stir in flour, salt, pepper.

Add milk, chicken broth, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and tarragon.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.  

Pour over filling mixture.

Top with crust of choice (baking powder biscuits, flaky pie crust, mashed white or sweet potatoes, stuffing, puff pastry).

Brush with milk.

Bake 20-25 minutes in 425 oven.

(Six servings.)

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Mini Quiche

This is from my friend Sharyn.  I typically give quiche a hard pass, but she made me one without cheese, and it was surprisingly good!  My plan is to make and freeze these, and then the kids can pull them out of the freezer and reheat them in the air fryer on school mornings. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup    butter

            eggs

1/2 cup    Bisquick

1/2 cup    milk

1 cup        grated cheese

3/4 cup    chopped spinach

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup        cooked and crumbled bacon

(any other desired toppings)


Directions:

Add butter, eggs, Bisquick, milk, salt, and pepper to blender and blend for 1 minute.  Add cheese, bacon, and spinach.  Pour into 12 greased muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Chocolate & White Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

These cookies are so soft and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (slightly soft)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 small package instant vanilla or French vanilla pudding
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 package chocolate chips (I like to use 1/2 pkg white and 1/2 pkg milk)
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Line pans with parchment paper.
  • Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
  • Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.
  • Add dry pudding powder and stir until incorporated.
  • Add flour, soda, and salt, mixing until flour is just incorporated.  
  • Bake for 7-8 minutes (you want to undercook them slightly so the center remains soft). 

Brown Butter Biscoff Rice Krispie Treats

These are an easy, delicious upgrade to your basic rice krispie treat.  I found the original recipe here.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
  • 16 oz. bag mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup cookie butter (I get mine from Trader Joe's)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 5-6 cups rice krispies*
  • 1-2 cups chopped Biscoff cookies*
  • flaky sea salt (for sprinkling on top)

Instructions
  • Grease 8x8 pan (or 9x13 if you're doubling the recipe).  Set aside.
  • Melt butter over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns.  This should take just a few minutes.
  • Turn heat to low and add marshmallows, stirring constantly until marshmallows are mostly melted.
  • Remove the pan from heat and stir in cookie butter, vanilla, and salt.
  • Gently fold in rice krispies and chopped Biscoff cookies until well coated with marshmallows.
  • Transfer mixture to prepared pan, and gently press the mixture into the pan (I just grease my fingers and do it by hand).  (Don't press too firmly, or the treats will end up hard and dry.)
  • Lightly sprinkle sea salt on top.
  • Cut into squares and enjoy!
*I prefer a soft, gooey rice krispie treat, so am toying with these amounts.  Start with smaller amounts of the dry ingredients, and add more until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Janae's Oatmeal Waffles

 2 cups milk

2 cups quick oats

1/3 cup oil

1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup flour


Warm milk on stove; add to oats.  Add oil, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Separate eggs; put yolks in mixutre.  Add flour, then beat egg whites and fold into batter.  Cook.

Janae's Gingerbread Waffles

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup butter, melted


Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until thick and foamy.  Stir in the milk and molasses.  Add liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until well-combined.  Slowly fold in the melted butter.

Spray hot waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.  Follow the manufacturer's directions for your waffle maker to measure batter and cook waffles until finished.  

Top waffles with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fresh fruit, or your favorite syrup.

The number of servings varies depending on the size of the waffle iron.

Monday, February 7, 2022

Salted Caramel Brownie Cookies

These are delicious - I haven't given them to anyone who didn't love them :).  They are easy and fast.  I got the recipe here. 

Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 cup unsalted butter cut into tablespoons, removed from fridge for 30 minutes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • extra Sea Salt for sprinkling on top of caramel
  • 1/2 -11 oz package Kraft Caramels about 18-20 caramels (I used a hunk of Peter's caramel)
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
  • 1/2 bag semisweet chocolate chips (the chocolate chips are not part of the original recipe)
  • 1/2 bag extra dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 375 convection or 400 degrees regular bake and set rack in center of oven.

Melt 4 oz unsweetened chocolate in microwave in a small bowl for 30 seconds, Continue to melt in 15 second intervals until smooth, set aside.

Place the butter and sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.

Beat butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs. Beat on low until butter, sugar and eggs are incorporated, scraping bottom of bowl once or twice to insure all ingredients are mixed together.

Add melted chocolate, and beat on low until smooth, again, scrape bottom of bowl once or twice.

Add flour, baking soda and salt all at once.

Mix on low or pulse mixer until all flour disappears and all ingredients are incorporated.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Using two lightly greased baking sheets (I prefer parchment paper), scoop out dough onto baking sheets, 8 scoops to a sheet. I use a 2 1/4 inch cookie scoop.

Lightly press the center of the cookie with palm of hand.

Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes or until top is barely set and is no longer wet.

Remove from oven and re-shape the cookies with a small spatula if the cookies spread during baking. This needs to be done while cookies are still hot out of the oven. Let cookies cool on baking sheet.

For caramel:

Unwrap about 1/2 of an 11 oz package of Kraft Caramels and place caramels in a microwave safe bowl. Melt for 45 seconds in microwave, remove and stir. Continue to melt caramel at 15 second intervals, until caramel is melted and easy to stir with a spoon. Add 1 tablespoons of milk and stir into caramel until the caramel is smooth and easy to scoop with a spoon and drizzle onto cookies.

Drizzle caramel onto cookies and immediately sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.

Let cool completely before serving or placing on a serving platter.