Red Velvet Cookies

Red Velvet cookies - Blood Red of our Enemies

I made these cookies for Ian and his gamemates after they finished finals. Saturday night was gaming night so I read, watched my shows and did some baking! They turned out pretty well but they make your teeth red! I also put cream cheese frosting on the cookies.


Ingredients
1 box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil


Instruction

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine one (1) box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix, two (2) eggs and one-third (1/3) cup vegetable oil using a hand blender or wire whisk.
3. Form teaspoon size balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about one inch (1") apart. Sligtly pat down the top of each ball.
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes (the top of the cookie will crack).

5. Let cool then top with frosting!

Edible Raw Cake Batter Cookie Dough!

Don't bake cookies out of this dough, it's not as good as it is raw!

Do you love making cookies? Is it because you love to eat the raw dough? Does it make you feel sick afterwards? I answered yes to all of these questions the other day after Ian and I made cookies. I only had a bite of the baked cookies because I was too full and sick from eating so much dough! So I searched for a recipe that didn’t contain eggs so that I could eat it raw. It was delicious!

Ingredients

1.5 cups flour

2/3 cup yellow cake mix

¼ tsp salt

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBS sprinkles!

4-8 TBS water ( I used 8)

Directions

Mix it all together except for the water. Add 1 TBS of water at a time. Enjoy!

I have to give credit to the website where I found this; she has chocolate chip and sugar cookie dough recipes as well: 

http://willowbirdbaking.com/2011/03/20/three-safe-to-eat-cookie-doughs-chocolate-chip-sugar-and-cake-batter/

Kate's Xmas Chex Mix

I make Chex Mix every year at Christmas and I have to say I’m pretty good at it J Extra Worcestershire and good seasoning salt are my secrets. I always make a quadruple batch because this stuff goes fast! Also, I like the rice and corn Chex so I go through 1.5 boxes of each but if you aren’t going to use the rest there is no point in buying 2 boxes of each.

*This recipe is a quadruple recipe. Use half of the Mix and half of the Liquid for four 9”x13” pans.

The Mix

1 box rice Chex (12.8 oz)

1 box corn Chex (12.8 oz)

1 small box wheat Chex (this box is usually smaller than the others)

Half a bag of pretzels

1 can of mixed nuts

1 box of goldfish

1 box of Cheez-its

Jenni with the Mix!

The Liquid (Only use half for a four 13”x9” dish batch!)

3 sticks of butter

12 TBS of Worcestershire sauce

6 tsp of seasoning salt (I use Lawrys or Johnnys)

4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

The Liquid!

1.      Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2.      Use four 13”x9” baking dishes and put half of the Mix ingredients amongst all four dishes. I always do less pretzels and nuts and more corn and rice chex because that is what I like!

3.      In a small saucepan, melt butter on low-medium. Add the rest and stir. Let it heat up so the salts dissolve into the butter.

4.      Pour the Liquid over each dish and mix up everything.

5.      Cook for an hour; mix every 15 minutes.

6.      Take them out, let cool and transfer to storage or other dishes.

7.      Repeat!

Danielle’s Dipped Pretzels

Yum yum!

My roommate Danielle made these delicious dipped pretzels and I had to make some for my family! It’s really easy to make but it is helpful if you have a couple of people to help you decorate.

Ingredients

1 brick of chocolate almond bark

1 brick of vanilla almond bark

1 bag of pretzels

Toppings:

Cranberries

M&Ms (mint, peanut butter, regular)

Peanut butter

Crushed candy cane

Directions

1.      Use half of each brick and melt on low in two separate saucepans. The vanilla melts faster and can burn more easily so make sure you have it on the lowest setting.

2.      Once melted, dip your pretzels to be ¼ to ½ covered in chocolate. It just depends on how you like your chocolate:pretzel ratio J

3.      Lay them out on parchment paper to let cool.

4.      Place an M&M or other topping on top within a minute of placing on the parchment paper.

Review

My family loved these! I think they loved making them more than eating them. Grammy watched us saying things like “hot damn,” and “well aren’t those cute.” Kelly just laughed at us girls. My sister was in charge of toppings and my mom was the refiller of supplies. I fell in love with the vanilla/cranberry creation that Danielle gave me so I kept telling my sister to make more of those!

These are fun to make and pretty cheap. I only used half of a brick for each and it made a bunch. This is also a great gift idea; Danielle gave these to her co-workers as Christmas gifts and I will be taking these to Ian’s family in CDA!

Smoked Salmon Spread

Smoked Salmon Spread

Ingredients

·         8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

·         1/2 cup sour cream

·         1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

·         1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, drained

·         1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Directions

Mix the cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix in a food processor. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crackers or crostini.

Review

This turned out pretty good. I like salmon so I enjoyed it more than others. It would be a good dip to take to a party. I suggest serving with fresh baked crostini!

Baked Shells with Sausage and Spinach Recipe

I made these as a Christmas Day appetizer!

Ingredients

·         1 box jumbo pasta shells

·         1.25 pounds turkey sausage

·         1.5 tablespoon minced garlic (or more)

·         1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

·         1 box frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry

·         3/4 cup ricotta cheese

·         1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         Italian seasoning (a lot)

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside.

2.      Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.

3.      Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage, cook 5-6 minutes until browned. Put Italian seasoning on the meat while it is cooking.

4.      Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes, spinach and more Italian seasoning; cook 1 minute.

5.      Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.

6.      Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 13-inch baking dish works well). Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.

Review

These turned out well. They weren’t as exciting as I would have liked them to be but I think you could make them better with more or different seasoning. You could also substitute for Italian sausage because it already has some zip to it. I added Italian seasoning after they had been cooked but it was too little too late. I did like that they are semi-healthy and hot finger food. 

Quinoa Goddess Salad (Vegan)

Quinoa is packed full of protein, fiber and low in cholesterol!

I had a group dinner last weekend and I have a work potluck on Tuesday so I decided I would stock up on ingredients and make the same thing. I have a lot of quinoa (thanks to my Mom stocking me up at Costco) so I started with that. I added some veggies, pumpkin seeds and seasoning of course. One of my coworkers is vegan so I added a vegan dressing (Annie’s Goddess Dressing). Here it is!

Ingredients

1 and ½ cups quinoa

3 cups vegetable broth

Seasoning (I used Costco’s no salt seasoning and salt, I know it’s silly)

1 TBS minced garlic

2 TBS lemon juice

1 cup shredded carrots

½ red onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 avocado, cubed

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup Annie’s Goddess dressing (to taste)

Directions

1.       Combine quinoa and vegetable broth and boil on high heat. Once boiling reduce to simmer and cook until no water remains. Add the seasoning (be greedy) and garlic.

2.       Throw all the vegetables into a large bowl.

3.       Once quinoa is cooked, mix into bowl with veggies. Add lemon juice and mix.

4.       Chill for a couple of hours. I made this hours before I needed to serve it so that the quinoa had time to chill.

5.       Before you are ready to serve add the dressing and pumpkin seeds. Mix well!

Review

I loved this salad!! We will see what my co-workers say…

Also, you can throw in whatever veggies you have in the fridge; broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. This is a quick, complete meal!  Ian would argue that the lack of meat does not make it a complete meal but quinoa is a complete protein :)

White Bean and Garlic Dip

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons

1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Review

I really liked this one, I would let it chill in the refrigerator before serving though. I also used dried parsley and I actually think it is necessary to use fresh parsley. I served with wheat crackers but you could serve it with veggies, crostini, pitas, etc. I will definitely make this again, it would be great to take as a snack for work! 

Ham and Black Bean Empanadas

Ingredients

Cubed ham, 2-3 cups

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

1/2 cup prepared salsa

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine ham, black beans, both cheeses, salsa, and cumin. Mix well to combine.

Unroll pie crusts onto a flat surface. Place mixture on top of the pie crust. Fold over and pinch the edges together to seal. Using a fork, make hash marks on the edges of the empanadas to ensure they are sealed. Using a sharp knife, make small slits in the top of each empanada to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake for 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Review

I LOVE empanadas. Unfortunately, these were not even close to the empanadas I have experienced. The refrigerated pie crust was the worst part, it just tasted fake. Next time I will take the time to make my own empanada crust and I will try different, more authentic fillings. I also forgot to put the beans inside (I saw them sitting in the colander ten minutes after I had put the empanada in the oven) so my very smart godfather suggested I put some cheese on top to act as an adhesive for the beans. Everyone enjoyed it with sour cream and salsa on the side.  

Slow Cooker Spinach Dip

Ingredients

1 cup grated mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

8 oz cream cheese brick

2 tsp minced garlic

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Paprika, dash

Directions

Thaw spinach and press all liquid out in a colander. Mix everything in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high, 2 hours.

Review

My mom loved this dip and is going to make it for the Super Bowl Party! As you know, I made this dip using a slightly different recipe a couple of weeks ago. I think this one was better and it is healthier (no mayo or sour cream). I also added more garlic than last time and threw in some paprika for fun. I also think that the slow cooker brought out the garlic. I served this with crostinis (sourdough this time – yum) and it was a big hit! 

Potato Croquettes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons milk

Salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion

2 egg yolks, beaten

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten

bread crumbs

Canola oil, enough to fill pan 1/2-inch

Directions

Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs. Fry each croquette in shallow oil until brown on all sides.

Review

For these I used the leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and added flour to them. Then I rolled them in bread crumbs and fried them. It was simple and a great way to enjoy leftovers. My godmother concocted a sour cream – salsa dip which was a perfect dip for them!

Lexican Masagna

Lexican Masagna

Mexican Lasagna: No noodles required!

Ingredients

·         3 TBS olive oil

·         2 lbs ground chicken breast

·         2 TBS chili powder

·         2 tsp cumin

·         ½ red onion chopped

·         1 can fire roasted tomatoes

·         1 can black beans

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         Salt

·         4-6 cloves garlic

·         ½ cup Tomatillo (or enchilada sauce)

·         12 corn tortillas

·         1 bag of Mexican blend cheese

Directions

1. Cook the chicken in a pan with olive oil. The recipe calls for ground chicken but I just cooked chicken breasts and then cut it up and shredded the chicken. After this throw it back in the pan with the chili powder, cumin and red onions. Put a lid on it so the onions soften and so that the chicken doesn’t dry out. Next throw all this into a bigger pot (or dutch oven if you have one) with a little more olive oil.
2. Add the minced garlic, tomatoes, beans and corn. Mix it up and cook for 5-10 minutes, you want it to be very hot and cooked! Add some salt (optional).

1. Coat shallow baking dish with olive oil and layer your lasagna! From the bottom it goes:
1. Meat/beans
2. Tortillas
3. Tomatillo (or enchilada sauce)
4. Cheese
5. Repeat one more time

1. Bake 12-15 minutes @ 350 degrees or until the cheese is bubbling on top!

Consensus

I made this dish as enticement for Ian to come over and watch the Country Music Awards show with me! He also donated some chicken, the onion and cheese for the dish J I served with sour cream on the side and we both enjoyed this dish. 

This is pretty easy to make and there were leftovers. Next time I would try adding a layer of rice under the meat/beans for some extra texture.

I actually typed the title dyslexically on accident but I decided to keep it so that people would be curious about the recipe!

best smoothie EVER

Best Smoothie Ever

Winning!

I have been making smoothies ever since I got my Magic Bullet for Christmas in 2007 (thanks Momma). I have tried a lot of different combinations with mangos, berries, bananas, ice, yogurts, frozen berries, apple juice, orange juice, sugar, etc. My go to has been a banana, 5-6 fresh strawberries and Light and Fit vanilla yogurt; its okay. Just okay, it’s never been amazing. One day I didn’t have any fresh fruit so I used some frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) and yogurt. Then I remembered I had to buy agave nectar for the chicken suiza casserole and I knew it was a sugar substitute so I put a little of that in. You see, I don’t like the tartness of blueberries and blackberries so I never eat them and I don’t like to put them in my smoothies. Well the result was amazing! The agave took away the tartness and sourness of those darker berries and it’s my new smoothie recipe. Ian tried it and ended up scarfing down what was going to be my breakfast the next day.

Ingredients

Frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Frozen strawberries

Light & Fit vanilla yogurt

Agave nectar!

Apple juice

Instructions

Put all ingredients into a Magic Bullet or blender, mix and drink! Great for breakfast, dessert and a snack. I also put it in the freezer then let it defrost and eat it as an excellent sorbet.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Yum! We ate this during the OSU/Cal football game, let's just say this dip helped to improve our moods.

This has always been a yummy dip to order as an appetizer but I know that it is not the healthiest; my version isn’t much better. It does have cream cheese and not butter so I think it’s a bit better than most J I made this for the trip up to the mountain that Ian and I made last weekend. We went to visit my Godparents, they live in a mansion cabin in Welches J They just moved into a bigger cabin right on the Salmon River and we had a great time catching up. Cathie made us a delicious mascarpone cheese pasta with an Asian pear/pine nut/poppy seed dressing salad. Mike kept us well boozed. We talked about asphalt paving, Bailey, fishing, government, grad school and snow! Here is the recipe for the dip:

Ingredients

·         1 box (10 ox), chopped frozen spinach

·         1 can artichoke hearts

·         6 ounces cream cheese

·         1/4 cup sour cream

·         1/4 cup mayonnaise

·         1/3 cup grated Parmesan (I used more)

·         1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Directions for dip

1.       Boil spinach in water until tender and drain. Discard and press out the liquid.

2.       Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients.

3.       Mix everything in a small baking dish and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Directions for crostini

1.       I  used artisan bread slices that were on day old bakery shelf but I recommend sourdough!

2.       Break bread into palm-size pieces and brush both sides with an olive oil/salt/paper mixture.

3.       Bake on a baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Put in the oven 5-10 minutes before the dip for great timing J

Consensus

We all enjoyed this dip! We were a little full from breakfast and our beer and coffee nudges but we made room for most of the dip. Next time I will add mince garlic, more parmesan and a more pungent cheese such as fontina or extra sharp.

Cathie cooking in her outdoor covered kitchen! Jealous? Yes!