Rootbeer Cookies

Update: I made these this weekend, and they were a hit with my book club and at mom and dad's house. I'm hanging on to this one! Ingredients (Cookies) •1 c. butter •2 c. brown sugar •2 eggs •1 c. buttermilk •3/4 tsp rootbeer concentrate (Make sure if you're using a bottle of concentrate that has already been in your cupboard for awhile that it isn't old. I've known people who have used old concentrate and they end up pouring almost the entire bottle in before they get even a hint of rootbeer flavor. That and the color doesn't turn out nearly right.) •4 c. flour •1 tsp baking soda •1 tsp salt Ingredients (Frosting) •3 1/2 c. powdered sugar •3/4 c. butter •3 Tbsp water •1 1/4 tsp rootbeer concentrate Directions 1.Combine all ingredients for the cookies in a large bowl or in a KitchenAid. 2.Drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet (about a tablespoon size of dough balls) and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. 3.While the cookies are baking, place the dough in the refrigerator. (It is good to keep your cookie dough in the refrigerator between batches to keep the dough firm.) Combine all the ingredeints for the frosting in a medium bowl and mix together well, whether it be with your KitchenAid or an electric hand mixer. 4.Frost the cookies after they have been given time to cool. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken and Artichokes

From the cookbook we got from Mubba for Christmas, but slightly altered :

Make a rub from
4 parts Dried Thyme
4 parts Grated Lemon Peel
1 part Salt
1 part Pepper

Apply to some chicken Breasts, then brown them in olive oil and set aside.

Saute the following in the same pan:
2 Large Onions, Chopped
4-6 Garlic Cloves, Smashed

Once the onions have softened up, add in a couple of cans of artichoke hearts, quartered, and some sliced olives  (black and green), and a can of chicken broth.  Add the chicken breasts back in and simmer until, well, done.

Quite a flavorful dish. And very healthy. Go easy on the thyme and lemon though... I may have overdone it a bit.

Chocolate Chip SourCream Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cream:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Premixed Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
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• Middle Layer:
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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• I know, it's a cake, but use the creaming method (butter, sugar, then eggs/sourcream/vanilla, then premixed dry ingredients).  It comes out as a doughy batter that is difficult to spread, but make the sacrifice; the sugar/cinnamon/chocolate chip should go in the middle between two halves of the batter.  
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• Makes a good 'coffee cake', which roughly translated from our childhood is 'cake we can have for breakfast even though it isn't really any healthier than a regular cake'.  
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• Bake at 350 in a greased 13x9.  Good luck with the timing; it's supposed to be 25-30 minutes, but it took me more like 40.  Toothpick test or shake it a little and hope it doesn't fall.

The Challenge

I had a chance to explain to some of you, but not all of you.  So here it goes.

I gave you each a cookbook for Christmas.  Nothing overly exciting, but we all love Taste of Home, right?  Each of you got a different edition.  I can't remember exactly who got what but I do know there was a diabetic, casserole, crockpot, shortcut, and penny pinching cookbooks. 

Your challenge is to simply use the cookbooks and post the recipe here.  If you take the time to post a picture, great- and yes, it does count if you just pull the picture off of the TOH website.  Thats fine.  Make sure that you also include any adjustments you make to the recipe- I know that I make them to pretty much every recipe I try.

Get cookin!

Mitch & Deb's Buffalo Dip

This one's from my boss & his wife - we traded it for the sausage dip recipe.  We'll be trying it out this Christmas and let you know how it goes.  I called it Buffalo dip for two reasons:  One is that the recipe looks like it probably comes out tasting a little like the buffalo sauce on spicy chicken fingers or wings (which my boss has ordered for lunch every time we've ever eaten out... for 11 years).  The other is they are from Buffalo (MN, not NY)...

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup Ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Almond Chicken, South Beach Style

Tom and I voted this a keeper. The kids scraped the breading off, and then voted it to be a keeper.

Found here.

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/8 cup (1/2 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup finely chopped almonds
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thickness and cut into 6 pieces
Sprig Italian parsley, for garnish

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, almonds, parsley, garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Place the oil in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken first in the oil, then dredge in the crumb mixture. Place the chicken in a shallow baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of a piece registers 170°F and the juices run clear. (Do not turn the chicken during cooking.) Garnish with the parsley.

Nutritional Information:
383 calories
16 total fat (4 g sat)
91 mg cholesterol
15 g carbohydrate
41 g protein
1 g fiber
730 mg sodium

Russian Tea Cakes

aka Mexican Wedding Cakes aka "Brushin' your teeth cakes"

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (for rolling at the end)

Cream butter ane vanilla. Mix sugar, flour, and walnuts in a seperate bowl. Combine the two together. Mix until it is no longer crumbly. Roll into 1 inch balls. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 12 mins. Remove and roll in sugar. Makes 36.

Apparently these are very freezable, too. I didn't get a change to try, though, because every time I pulled a batch out, they disappeared.