MommaCooks

January 3, 2011 · 9:30 pm

Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for a recipe for easy cookies…yep, doesn’t get much easier than these.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and dip tops in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft cookies, and for 13 minutes for crispy cookies.

Did I change anything? I didn’t this time, but I got to thinking that if you can use vanilla cake mix, why couldn’t you use chocolate cake mix or carrot cake mix or whatever cake mix you wanted to use? I bet these would be SUPER tasty with chocolate cake mix.

What did the family think? We had these as our New Year’s Eve dinner dessert with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It makes quite a few, so we are still eating them along with the leftover ice cream. Everybody loves them!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

· 9:20 pm

Crock Pot Lasagna

Tried out another Jessica Seinfeld recipe tonight. I don’t think this one is in her new cookbook, but this is one that she made on Oprah a month or so ago.

Ingredients:
3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tenderâ€”especially in the center of the lasagnaâ€”about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed is that I couldn’t fit all of the ingredients into the Crock Pot, so I didn’t use all of the cheese mixture or all of the spinach. I also added 1/2 lb. of ground Italian sausage to it which I cooked before I put it in the Crock Pot.

What did the family think? The kids loved it! My youngest said it was the best lasagna he’s EVER had. I would say that it was good, but definitely not the best I have ever had, but if my kids will eat it, then I like it.

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Filed under Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

January 1, 2011 · 1:39 pm

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I usually steer clear of any recipe that requires yeast and/or a rolling pin, but a gal from our church in Kansas said these were easy, and you know what…she was right! Thanks, LeeAnn!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened butter.

Roll out dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal.

Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm.

Did I change anything? I added some icing to them after they had cooled a little. (recipe below) I think next time I will bake them in a greased glass pie dish instead of the muffin tin. The muffin tin was fine, but it’s going to be a bear to clean.

What did the family think? These were an awesome addition to our New Year’s morning brunch.

Icing
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (add more milk if it’s too thick)

Instructions:
Pour both ingredients into a bowl and stir. Add more milk if needed. Drizzle icing over cinnamon rolls with a spoon.

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

December 31, 2010 · 8:56 pm

Rosemary Roasted Salmon

Happy New Year, everyone! This was part of our New Year’s Eve dinner and it was SO good!

Ingredients:
2 large bunches fresh rosemary
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 2-pound center-cut salmon fillet with skin
2 large lemons, thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450Â°F. Arrange half of rosemary sprigs in single layer in center of heavy baking sheet. Arrange sliced red onion atop rosemary.

Place salmon, skin side down, atop red onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover salmon with remaining rosemary sprigs. Arrange lemon slices over rosemary. Drizzle olive oil over. Sprinkle lemon slices with salt.

Roast salmon until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer salmon to plates. Serve with roasted onions and lemon slices.

We had this with a salad and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I also roasted some potatoes, carrots and Brussel sprouts along with the salmon. I started roasting the veggies before the salmon since the veggies take a bit longer.

What did the family think? The salmon was fantastic! The onions and Brussel sprouts cooked a little too much, but the potatoes and carrots were perfect. I think next time, I will cook the veggies separately on a lower rack in the oven and maybe for not quite as long.

from epicurious.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less

December 30, 2010 · 9:59 pm

Creamy Chicken

I got Jessica Seinfeld’s new cookbook for Christmas. It says that this recipe is a hit with every child that eats at her house, so I figured this would be a good place to start.

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 T soft butter (divided)
1 1/2 T flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup butternut squash puree (I used baby food)
Macaroni noodles or rice (I used macaroni)

Instructions:
Cook macaroni noodles/rice according to package directions.

Dice chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Heat 1 T butter in large skillet. Add the chicken and sprinkle salt and garlic powder on chicken. Cook until lightly browned then remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet, then add the flour. Whisk in the chicken broth and stir for about 2 minutes making sure there are no lumps. When smooth, slowly add milk.

Let mixture cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally as it thickens. Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the puree, stir, take the skillet off the heat, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Serve chicken and sauce over macaroni noodles.

Did I change anything? I didn’t think the sauce was thick enough so I added about 3 T of cream cheese towards the end of the cooking process. I let it melt and stirred it in so that it was all mixed together. I also added some fresh ground pepper to the adult’s servings.

What did the family think? Holy cow! Our oldest not only ate all of his, but he then ate the rest of his brother’s and wanted to know if there was more. I think he could have literally licked his bowl clean if he knew that he could have gotten away with it. The kids LOVED it…I wish it would have had a bit more giddyup. But if the kids are licking their bowls, then I am happy.

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Filed under Chicken, Easy, Everybody Ate It

December 25, 2010 · 10:02 pm

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Yep, just like the butterscotch ones only with chocolate. These are super yummy, too!

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
3 cups corn flakes cereal

Instructions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a large microwaveable bowl for about 90 seconds or until chips are melted.

Pour in peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is coated with chocolate.

Line countertops with wax or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax/parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes.

What did the family think? Yum, yum, super yum and yum again. 😉

3 Comments

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

· 9:55 pm

Butterscotch Cornflake Cookies

These are SUPER easy and taste SO good!

Ingredients:
1 package butterscotch chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
3 cups corn flakes cereal

Instructions:
Melt the butterscotch chips in a large microwaveable bowl for about 90 seconds or until chips are melted.

Pour in peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is coated with butterscotch.

Line countertops with wax or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax/parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes.

What did the family think? Everyone is our house who likes butterscotch thought these were SUPER yum and the kids had fun helping me make them.

from Pinch My Salt

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

December 22, 2010 · 10:50 pm

Scrambled Egg and Cheddar Cheese Panini

SInce my kids seem to think sandwiches are better when they come out of the panini maker…

Ingredients:
2 slices Italian Sandwich Bread or English Muffin
3 eggs, scrambled
1 slice Cheddar Cheese (or whatever variety you prefer)

Instructions:
Scramble the eggs and put them with the cheese in between the two slices of bread.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What does the family think? They think it’s so much better to have a panini than a grilled cheese. Isn’t this essentially a grilled cheese with some eggs thrown in there? Even if I give them a choice between a grilled cheese and a cheese panini, they will always pick the panini! Silly kids. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

· 3:24 pm

Roast Beef, Mozzarella and Pepperoncini Panini

So, we are still eating out because most of our furniture is still being stored in the garage. I have been told that we should be able to have the movers come next Saturday…fingers crossed! Here is a yummy panini that I had at our local sandwich/soup shop last night.

Ingredients:
Italian Sandwich Bread
Sliced Deli Roast Beef
Mozzarella
Red Pepper, very thinly sliced
Yellow onion, very thinly sliced (keep in rings)
Pepperoncini, stems cut off and thinly sliced
Capers (optional)
Mayo

Instructions:
Spread a thin layer of mayo on each slice bread. Assemble sandwich with above ingredients using more of less of each ingredient to your taste.

What did the family think? I am the only one who had this variety. It was yummy. I have their takeout menu, so I can check off each sandwich as I have it. My goal is to try them all! 🙂

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Filed under Easy, Sandwich

December 17, 2010 · 11:15 pm

Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are very good and I made them even better by drizzling some chocolate over them…the hubster really likes chocolate. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cover baking sheets with foil, then coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed to form a grainy paste. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and blend just until combined.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on baking sheets, 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Let cool and then peel off cookies with fingers.

Be sure to respray baking sheets between batches.

Did I change anything? I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave in a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner of the bag and drizzled the chocolate over the cookies. Everything is better with chocolate, right? 🙂 Also, these cookies SPREAD when they cook. Make sure you only use a teaspoon full of dough and make sure you leave enough space between the cookies.

What did the family think? I think they are yummy and so does our oldest kiddo. I think hubby skipped these and just ate the chocolate chips I bought to melt and drizzle over them.

from Mrs. Fields’ Cookie Book