Saturday, March 13, 2010

Aunt Judy's Peanut Butter Bars #2

 Judy has a couple of really yummy PB bar recipes.  This is one of them!

Cookie:
3/4 C butter
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 T Vanilla 3/4 Peanut Butter
3/4 t baking soda

1/8 salt
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C quick cooking oats

 Frosting:
1 C powdered sugar
2-3 T milk
1 t vanilla
1/2 cube butter
2-3 T cocoa powder
**Add more milk and/or cocoa powder to taste and consistency of your liking

Directions:
Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and peanut butter; beat well.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture.  Spread evenly in sheet pan and bake at 325* for 10 min. While cookie is cooking, make frosting. Let cool, then frost.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Mushroom Soup

  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 whole Small Carrrot, Finely Minced
  • 1 whole Celery Stalk, Finely Minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Garlic, Crushed And Minced
  • 1 pound White Mushrooms, Sliced Thin
  • 4 ounces, fluid Chablis White Wine (optional)
  • 4 ounces, fluid Tomato Juice
  • 4 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
  • 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
  • ¼ cups Water
  • 1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil, over medium heat, in a large deep pot.
Mince the carrot and celery nice and fine. Too big and the soup will end up chunky. Toss into the pot and allow them to soften while you slice the mushrooms. (Please remember to clean the mushrooms first. You probably already knew that … I’m just sayin’.) Next, add your garlic, right as the carrots and celery start to cook down.
Add the mushrooms to the pot and allow them to reduce and soften. Pour in the Chablis, and let it cook with the mushrooms for a few minutes.
Add the tomato juice, and the chicken broth. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes before adding the heavy whipping cream, and bring to a soft boil.
Grate Parmesan and add it to the pot. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and blended with the soup. Add the cornstarch to 1/4 cup of water, then pour into the soup.
Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until thickened. Salt and pepper the soup to your own tastes.
Serve with French bread or just plain ‘ol crackers. Whatever floats your boat!
Note: this recipe can be easily doubled, which you may want to do anyway, cause it won’t last long if you have to share it!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sausage and eggplant stuffed shells


Or, as I like to call it: "The recipe that will get you married"! Seriously people, I cant even begin to tell you how amazing this dish is. But, be warned! It takes a lot of time to prepare and if you dont multi-task well in the kitchen, your not going to do well with this dish. I found this on food network from Emirl Lagasse. I changed it a little.
Now, please make this as fast as possible!

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3/4 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 7 cups cubed)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/2 cup ricotta or mascarpone cheese
* 12 ounces fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and chopped (about 2/3 cup chopped)
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1/2 (12-ounce) package jumbo pasta shells (about 18 shells)
* 2 cups Italian crushed tomatoes
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
* 2C grated fontina or Mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the sausage until golden brown, stirring to break up the pieces, about 6 minutes. Add half of the onions and the eggplant, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly caramelized and very soft. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the ricotta or mascarpone cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine well.

Lightly grease a deep 9 by 13-inch casserole or lasagna pan and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells until just al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Pat shells dry. Stuff the pasta shells with the sausage-eggplant mixture and place in the prepared casserole dish.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and saute the remaining chopped onions until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the sauce is reduced in volume by about 1/3, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the basil to the sauce and pour the sauce over the shells in the casserole. Sprinkle with the fontina cheese and the remaining Parmesan. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the sauce is lightly browned in spots and bubbly around the edges, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

Stephanie Reece

1 rotisserie chicken
1 can cream of chicken
1 bag frozen carrots and peas
1 box refrigerated pie crust

Pull meat from chicken and shred and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the cream of chicken and the frozen carrots and peas. Mix all together and set aside. Place one pie pastry in the bottom of your pie pan and cut it to fit. You should have about a 9" circle; discard the trimmings. Place chicken mixture into the pie plate. Place the 2nd pie round on top and crimp around the edges to seal. Cut a few slits in the top and do and egg wash. Bake at 350* until golden brown on top.

**Variation**
Cut the pie rounds into 4 pieces. Place enough of the chicken mixture in the middle of the square to be able to seal it with the edges of a fork. With 2 pie rounds you should be able to make 4 hot-pocket type chicken pot pies. I immediately wrapped them in foil and froze them. They made an easy dinner on a busy night! Do the same egg wash and bake until golden.

Gel Pack

A Mom from preschool told me about this today and I just had to share. I hate buying those expensive gel-type freezer packs. They are expensive! Here is a cheap way to make your own. Im going to stock my freezer with a few of these!

2/3C rubbing alcohol
2C Water

*Mix together and freeze! Too easy and almost free!