Smores Cookies

I recently came across this recipe for Smores Cookies
and didn't even have to think twice I knew I had to
make these cookies.

Smores are awesome!
Graham crackers, marshmallows and
chocolate all pressed together in a
small sandwich - YUMMY!!

And now all those flavors in cookie form
sounds great to me.

Smores Cookies
Yields: about 3 dozen

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup/ 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups miniature chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

2 regular Hershey bars, roughly chopped



Using a mixer combine the butter and sugars and mix until fluffy.
Mix in the eggs one at a time and vanilla until combined.
Add the flour, graham crackers, salt and baking soda and mix well.
Stir in the chocolate chips then cover and refrigerate
the dough for about one hour.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Take a tablespoon of the dough, roll into a ball,
and drop onto a greased baking sheet.
Repeat with the rest of dough, leaving about 2 inches
between each to allow it to spread.
Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Push a 3 - 5 marshmallows and a
few pieces of a Hershey's bar into each cookie.
Return to oven and bake for another 3 -5
minutes until golden brown and the marshmallows
are a bit toasted.

These cookies are awesome!!
You have to make them but then give them away
because if you don't you will end up eating them all.

Potato, Leek and Ham Frittata

By definition a Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, either simple or enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. It may be flavored with herbs.

Frittatas can be made on the stove top or cooked in the oven. When I use my small frittata pan I cook right on the stove top because the frittata pan allows me to flip the mixture over so that it cooks evenly. When I am making a larger frittata I usually start the cooking process in a skillet and then transfer the mixture to the
oven to bake.

Potato, Leek & Ham Frittata
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 leeks, chopped ( only use white
and light green part)
2 cups potato, peeled and sliced
1 cup ham, diced
8 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. fresh oregano
2 tbsp. fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add potato and cook 5 minutes. Then add the leeks
and continue to cook until the potato is tender and the leeks are translucent. Add
oregano, basil, salt and pepper to this mixture.

In a bowl, mix the eggs and ricotta. Then stir the ham and cheese into
this egg mixture. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Pour the potato mixture into a nonstick round casserole dish
or you can keep the mixture in your skillet if it is non-stick
and oven safe.
Then pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Make sure that
to spread the egg mixture around to completely coat the potatoes.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.






Try a slice:

White Chicken Chili

I am sure you have heard ~ Georgia
weather has been crazy this week.
We experienced a few inches of snow
on Monday which was tons of fun
and a day off from work to play.
But then the snow turned into ice
and two more days off of work.
I am running out of things to cook
or bake but here is what I served
for dinner last night.


There is nothing better than
Chili with friends when the
weather is just so crazy!

White Chicken Chili
adapted from
Melissa d'Arabian's recipe

12 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 Anaheim chile peppers
*2 Red Peppers, roasted and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
*1 tablespoon cumin
1 15-ounce can navy beans, undrained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/3 cup heavy cream
Roasted Garlic
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled, tops cut off
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup grated monterey jack cheese, for garnish




Directions
Roast garlic in oven by chopping off the top of the clove and pouring oil over the garlic. Cook in oven at 375 for 15 or 20 minutes. Be sure the garlic is soft and
lightly browned.

Prepare the chili: Preheat the broiler. Cook the shallots in the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the chiles and red peppers on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred on all sides, turning, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel the peppers with your fingers or a paring knife. Stem, seed and chop.

Add the minced garlic to the shallots and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the wine; simmer 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the roasted chiles, 6 cups broth, the chicken, chili powder, cayenne, beans, and salt and black pepper to taste. Return to a simmer.

Meanwhile, squeeze the soft pulp from the roasted garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the remaining 1 cup broth and process until smooth. Add to the chili and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Add the paprika and cream and season with salt and pepper.



I served my chili with Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream and diced jalapeño.

This chili recipe has a very yummy, smokey flavor from the peppers!

Nutella, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

You really can't go wrong with Nutella!
We had 5 days off because of snow last week
and I was running out of things to bake.
Nutella came up the night before during
our dinner conversation with friends so ~
the next day I went on a search for desserts
you can make with Nutella.
I came across a variety of cookie recipes.
I combined ingredients from a few of the
recipes and came up with this cookie.



Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy preferred)
1 large egg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Nutella

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Mix butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly stir Nutella into the mixture. Place batter in spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.






I would say that they were very yummy!

Crepes

Here is a basic recipe for Crepes.
It is great to have a Crepe recipe
because they are so versatile.
You can make Crepes for any meal since
they can be savory or sweet.
There are so many possiblities for
making Crepes. You can change the batter
by adding spices, herbs, or by the type of
flour you use.
You can fill Crepes with fruits, meats
or your favorite veggies.


Crepes
Adapted from Everyday Food
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk, room temperature, plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp lemon

Directions
1.Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter and lemon juice. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.

2.Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute.

3.Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip. Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. Repeat the process with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

We made Egg, Mushroom, Chorizo Sausage,
Cream Cheese and Oregeno filled Crepes:

Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Sauce

January brought a new issue of all my cooking magazines ~
which makes me happy and inspires me to try new things.

It is fun for me to flip through the pages and find
recipes that have a unique ingredient or new flavor.

This recipe called out to me because of the mushrooms.
I enjoy the earthy flavor of mushrooms and I love
mushroom and wine sauces. This recipe calls for
a mushroom blend and the market we shop has a nice
selection of mushrooms so it was a go on the recipe.

Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Sauce
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (4-ounce) packages exotic mushroom blend, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup of white wine
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
3/4 cup instant polenta
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontal or fontina cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add herbs and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup broth,* 1/2 cup white wine, lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

2. Bring milk and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil. Stir in polenta; cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in half of cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide polenta among 4 gratin dishes; top with remaining cheese. Broil 5 minutes. Top each serving with 1/2 cup mushroom sauce.

Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Sauce


This is a very nice dish. The combination of the cheese, polenta and mushroom is excellent! The original recipe does not call for white wine but I added a 1/2 cup of wine and cooked my mushroom mixture just a little bit longer than it recommended.

The Wishbone

I apologize for the late post but I
really wanted to send this out and
get your thoughts.

We had a great time hosting Thanksgiving
for 15. Lots of food and fun. After
everyone left to go home and the house
was clean we came across the "wishbone"
from our turkey.

The wishbone sat out on the counter
for a few days drying out. Then one
evening my husband and I decided it
was time to break the wishbone.

You know how it's done, right?
Each person holds one side of the wishbone.
"Ready!", they count out loud together,
"1...2...3!" At the count of three,
you pull your side of the bone until it breaks.


Well, here is what happened! What does it mean?

Ebelskivers

My parents bought my husband an Ebelskiver Pan (filled-pancake pan)
for his birthday. Jim has enjoyed cooking breakfast on Sunday
morning for both of us so this gift is really a win, win situation.
He gets a cool Ebelskiver pan. He cooks Ebelskivers for breakfast
and I win, win.

The first try making the Ebelskivers did not go perfectly but
Jim was not about to give up. This time we both took on the
Ebelskivers. Jim made the special Ebelskiver batter.
He poured the batter in the pan and I quickly filled
the mini pancakes with Nutella. Then another dab of batter on
top and there you have it ~ a Nutella Ebelskiver.

Check out these little pancakes filled with creamy, hazelnut goodness.




They were delicious!