Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe also came from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, but I made one or two minor alterations.
Love the cover of this book!

Cream:
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup coconut oil--or Crisco, but I'm trying not to use hydrogenated goop
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla

Add, mixing well:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon each: baking soda and salt

Stir in:
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
12 oz. bag Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chill--if using coconut oil--since the dough will be a bit thinner than if using shortening. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop by rounded spoonfuls--or cookie scoop--onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before removing to cookie rack.

Russian Teacakes from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book

Another favorite cookie. I first remember Mom making these when we lived on the Gettis Canyon ranch. Sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookies, and some people in our part of West Texas do make them for weddings. I have no idea where the Russian Teacake name came from!

Cream:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar--you'll need extra powdered sugar for rolling the baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add:
2-1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

The recipe says to chill the dough, but I've never done that. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. The cookies don't spread much, so you can place them closer together than other cookies. Bake about 10-12 minutes, or until set bet not brown. While still warm roll the cookies in the extra powdered sugar. Cool. Roll in the powdered sugar one more time.

Be careful. These are very addictive.

Photos and origin of name from Baker Girl.

Peanut Butter Cookies from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book

On a cookie making kick tonight.

Cream together:

1 stick butter--softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar--I prefer dark brown sugar

2 eggs

 Blend in:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

At this point you can either chill the dough or roll into 1-inch balls (I use a small cookie scoop) and mash with a fork before baking them for about 8-10 minutes. When you do bake them, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

These were the very first cookies I learned to bake. My grandmother, Minnie Mae Minton Chisholm, allowed my sister and me to help her roll and mash them, so I never make these coolies without thinking of her. 

Minnie Mae and me

Milk Chocolate Ganache from Rose's Heavenly Cakes

I could eat this by the spoonfuls!

12 ounces milk chocolate--okay, I live in Fort Stockton and don't have access to quality chocolate. But I LOVE Hershey bars. So I used giant Hershey bars.

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (5 fluid oz) whipping cream

5 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla--I always use the pure stuff; no imitation vanilla for me!

Melt the chocolate--either in microwave or double boiler--being careful to not burn; remove from heat, stirring well to remove any lumps. Gradually stir in cream--the chocolate became too firm, so I placed it back over the hot water in the double boiler just until mixed.  Allow to cool until no longer warm to the touch; about 30 minutes. Gently whisk in softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, being careful to not incorporate too much air. Stir in vanilla.

Use now or allow to sit for a few hours. It will become thicker as it sits at room temperature. Frost the cake, and try not to eat it by the spoonfuls!

White Velvet Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Photo from hectorwong.com 

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2/3 cup milk, divided
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
2-1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt--I reduce this by half if using salted butter
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter

Prepare Pan: Grease  9x2 inch round cake pan; place round parchment paper on bottom and coat with Baker's Joy spray.

Preheat Oven: 350 degrees

Mix the Liquids: Whisk together egg whites, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla just until blended.

Make the Batter: In mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and blend on low for 30 seconds. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Raise speed to medium and beat for 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.

Starting at med-low speed, gradually add the egg-milk mixture in two parts, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrap down sides, and pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake: 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool: Place pan on cake rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool completely before frosting with the amazing Milk Chocolate Ganache.

Southern Living's Banana-Nut Cake Recipe

Cream, beating well:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time:
2 eggs

Add, mixing until smooth:
2 cups mashed ripe bananas--I used 4 small ones

Combine and add to creamed mixture:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
1 cup chopped pecans

Pour batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

1 pkg pasta
1 stick butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
2 T cream cheese
1/4 t salt
1/2 t white pepper [I use black.]

1. Make pasta to your desired level of doneness.
2. In sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter, add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
3. Add cream and cream cheese heating until bubbling, but not boiling.
4. Add Parmesan cheese and mix until melted.
5. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
6. Mix the hot sauce with the pasta and serve.

Great Reads

In my humble opinion, here's a list of really good books--in no particular order.

1. Old Yeller, Fred Gibson

2. Gone With the Wind, Martha Mitchell

3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

4. Outlander--the series by Diana Galbadon

5. The Sunne in Splendor, Sharon Kaye Penman

6. The Host, Stephanie Meyer

7. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
8. The Winter King and others by Bernard Cornwell
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Water For Elephants, Sara Gruen
12. A Dance With Dragons and the all the books in the series, George R.R. Martin
13. Page From a Tennessee Journal, Francine Thomas Howard

Easy Quick Cobbler Recipe

1 c. flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 c. white sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

3/4 c. milk

2 c. sliced fruit--I used blackberries.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pour butter in 9X9 pan. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except fruit and pour over butter. Do not mix. Place fruit on top. Bake for about 45-60 minutes or until top is golden brown. 

The original recipe called for peaches. But almost any fruit--canned, fresh, or frozen works well. I used freeze dried blackberries from Thrive. Turned out so well that I had two helpings. Guess I'll have to work that off somewhere!

Favorite Cookie: Molasses Crinkles

My favorite comfort food is the cookie. Grandma Minnie Mae taught me how to make peanut butter cookies when I was four years old. It was an instant love affair the cookie. Here's one of my favorites.

Molasses Crinkles

       1. Cream:

 ¾ c shortening   

 1 c brown sugar  

 1 egg

2. Add:

  ¼ c molasses

  2-1/4 c flour

  ½ t cloves

  1 t ginger

  2 t soda

  ¼ t salt 

  1 t cinnamon.

3. Chill dough.  Roll into 1 inch balls, dip tops in white sugar or sanding sugar, place sugar side up on greased cookie sheet, flatten slightly, and bake until set but not hard (8-10 minutes).  

Projects in the Works

Magic Number quilt for Granddaughter #1. She  chose the materials. I had the fun of piecing the quilt. It is now layered and partly quilted. 

Here's a close-up of the unfinished quilt top.

Granddaughter #1 is holding up the unfinished top. Added the remaining border pieces later and am now in the process of machine quilting.

*Finally finished this quilt about a year later. Such a fun project. Thinking I need to make another one.

Directions for making a Magic Number quilt from my favorite quilt blogger./

Getting a Start on Spring Break

Second day of Spring Break 2013! Time for a little yard work before quilting this afternoon. Yesterday I rescued my oldest granddaughter from a week of boredom and chores at home. Chores at someone else's house is always more fun! So she can now help me clear a few weeds that survived the mild West Texas winter and clean up the yard. My neighbors will be happier with me I'm sure.

LATER..Too windy and cool for yard work this morning. Guess I'll head on over to Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware to pick up mulch and various other supplies in the hope that the wind and chill goes away this afternoon. 

A Little Bit Later...Wind died down. Granddaughter #1 helped carry mulch bags, weed, put down cardboard layer, rake mulch and just generally helped out. Two-thirds of the front flowerbed covered. Back to the store tomorrow for more mulch and gardening gloves. 

Finished with the weeding and mulching. Now kill a few strands of grass peeking out near the border and to add some plants. Thinking of adding some big pots of flowers or greenery. Maybe some decorative grasses? Hmmm....