Monday, January 5, 2009

YUM-O!!! *A Day in the Kitchen*

Oh my gosh, I was off work on Christmas Eve so I decided to make it a day of baking. I guess the Christmas spirit went straight to my head. Here is what I managed to make in only 12 hours...

*Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling*
Preheat the oven to 350 and place rack int he center of the oven. Butter and lightly flour two 9x5x3 inch load pans. Set aside.
To toast nuts: Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Cool completely and then chop coarsely. Set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp all purpose flour
In your food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and process just until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing just until incorporated. Do not over process. Stir in the flour. Set aside.
Pumpkin Bread:
1 cup pecan or walnuts (optional)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup water or milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla and nuts.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks of flour is fine.) Do not over mix as it will make the bread tough.
Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top of the two pans of batter, smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter.
Bake the breads for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Place pans on a wire and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing bread from pans. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else freeze for later use.
(This recipe is courtesy of Joy of Baking)


*Ranger Cookies*

1 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups oats
2 cups rice cereal
1 cup peanut butter chips

In a large bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients together. Stir in the last 4 ingredients. Knead the cookie dough with your hands to get everything evenly distributed. Roll into walnut sized balls, sprinkle with sugar and flatten.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

(This recipe is courtesy of Nanny Mary Lee)


*White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies*

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

(This recipe is courtesy of Me)


*Simply Sensational Chocolate Truffles*

2 1/2 pkg (20 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

Melt 8 chocolate squares. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy; stir in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.
Shape into 36 balls. Place on wax paper-covered tray.
Melt remaining chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles; return to tray. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.

Decorations: Top with chopped peanuts or sprinkles. Or, coat truffles with powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dipping in chocolate.

(This recipe is courtesy of Kraft Foods)


*Simply Sensational Nutella Truffles*

1 jar Nutella
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
12 squares Baker's White Chocolate

Melt Nutella. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy; stir in melted Nutella. Refrigerate until firm.
Shape into 36 balls. Place on wax paper-covered tray. Freeze until hard.
Melt white chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles; return to tray. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.




*Christmas Chili*

2 lbs ground turkey or chicken (or 4 cups chopped meat)
4 cups turkey or chicken stock or broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed, chopped
2 Anaheim peppers, stems and seeds removed, chopped
2 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin (I used 4 tsp)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cayenne pepper
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 (15 oz) cans Cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern beans
salt and black pepper to taste

Garnishes and extras:
Monterrey jack cheese
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions
avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped (or guacamole)
chopped tomatoes (or salsa)
chips or warmed flour tortillas
corn bread

In a large stock pot, add olive oil and cook meat until done. Add garlic, onions, and jalapeno and Anaheim peppers and cook until tender. Add spices, broth, green chilies, and beans and simmer until desired thickness. Or add to crock pot, cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Serves 10-12.

(This recipe is courtesy of Me)


I forgot to take pics of these...

*Sausage Balls*
2 cups Bisquick
1 lb ground sausage
1 (8-10 oz) pkg shredded cheese

In a large bowl, mix ingredients together with your hands. Roll into dough into walnut sized balls and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.


*Peppy Pinwheels*

2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (4 oz) can chopped black olives
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
2 bunches green onions, finely chopped (optional)
6-8 slices ham or turkey, finely chopped
Flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients together & spread in flour tortillas. Roll up and let chill. Slice and serve.




*Fresh Green Beans*

4 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut
6-8 slices bacon, cut into pieces
a few dashes of worchestershire sauce
water or chicken stock

This really isn't an exact recipe. Cook the bacon in a large stock pot. Add green beans to bacon and grease and cook for about 5 minutes stirring until coated with bacon grease. Fill pot with water or chicken stock and add a few dashes of worchestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer until beans are tender. They take a LONG time. The longer they cook the better they are.

(This recipe is courtesy of Me)




... AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!!!




...And this is what it looks like when Mommy's in the kitchen all day not paying any attention to what Cole is doing.



5 comments:

Julie said...

Boy, you weren't kidding about cooking things up christmas eve.
I am loving that chili! I am gonna have to try that one!

DetJessandalltherest said...

Day-um, Sista! Put the spatula down! -:)

Now I'm hungry.

Roy B. Young said...

And, let me say, all of the recipes were delicious, especially the Christmas chili!! Thanks for sharing them with all of us in Apache. Papa

Megan said...

I can not wait to make that chilli!
I don't think I have ever cooked that much in one day, or even one week.

suzspeaks said...

WOW!!! We should get together to cook sometime...that sounds like a fun day!! Yummy recipes - thanks!

 
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