Gingerbread Butterscotch Cookies

A Nestle Tollhouse Recipe

I make these cookies every December.  I LOVE them.  However, my husband just thinks they are "all right". He has very limited taste buds when it comes to desserts, much to my chagrin.  Thus, I usually only make them once a year, but really I think they are cravable and worthy of being made year-round.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup light molasses
• 1 (11 oz) pkg Nestle Butterscotch flavored morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, egg and molasses in a large mixer bowl until creamy.  Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended.  Stir in morsels.  Drop by rounded tablespoons on to ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 9-11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.  

Banana Cream Pie

Adapted from Allrecipes

I was away for Thanksgiving with my baby...so my husband missed out on some of his Thanksgiving favorites.  Top on his list was a homemade banana cream pie.  When I came back I cooked a mini-Thanksgiving for him with all of his must-haves.  This was the recipe I use for his favorite banana cream pie.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 bananas, sliced

Directions:

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt.  Add milk in gradually while stirring gently.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly.  Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
• Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture.  Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring.  Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla.  Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
• Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell.  Top with pudding mixture.
• Chill for an hour.

Mexican Turkey Lime Soup

Adapted from Mucho Gusto

I saw this recipe on PInterest and thought it would be a great way to use my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lb turkey, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 Tbs adobo sauce
• 6 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 roma tomatoes, diced
• Juice of 2 limes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 hass avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 pieces
• Crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam. Stir in the cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
• Place 2 avocado slices in each of 6 soup bowls and pour in the soup. Top with the tortilla chips.

Quinoa Chili

Adapted from Allrecipes

I haven't blogged a recipe in forever!  BUT I have been cooking.  I just have been a bit busy lately and, unfortunately, blogging recipes has dropped to the bottom of my 'To Do' list.

This chili is great for cold wintery days.  And it's super healthy!  You can substitute a different kind of beans (like black beans) if desired.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 (19 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• ¼ chopped fresh cilantro
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Tortilla chips

 Directions:

·         Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.

·         Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.

·         Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.

·         Once the red and green peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro and serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.  

Deep Dish Pizza Crust

Adapted from Allrecipes

My husband requested that I mixed it up and tried a new pizza dough recipe.  After a couple of tries with other recipes, I stumbled on this one.  It is fantastic!  It's very reminiscent of Pizza Hut's pan pizza crust.  

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

 Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Stir the salt and olive oil into the yeast solution.  Mix in 2 ½ cups of the flour
• Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Place the dough into a well oiled bowl and cover with a cloth.  Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.  Punch down the dough and form a tight ball.  Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough and bake immediately.  If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan and let the dough rise for 15 minutes before topping and baking it.
• Bake pizza in preheated oven until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.  

Sausage Potato Chowder

Adapted from Home Cooking the Costco Way

This was a favorite of my hubby and little boy. I love making soups this time of year!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup minced onion

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground sausage

2 Tbsp. flour

salt and pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled, and diced

Saute butter, onion and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes. Do not brown. Raise the heat to medium, add sausage meat and stir to break up. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until sausage is almost cooked through. Reduce the heat to low and stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Do not brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium high and add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Add half-and-half. Add potatoes. Return to a simmer.

Caramel Dip

This is so yummy! Use it to dip apples or put over ice cream!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup Karo Syrup

1 cube butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

Bring brown sugar, Karo syrup and butter to a boil, noting the temperature. When candy thermometer reaches 225 degrees, remove from heat and pour into a separate pan or bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Allow to cool before serving.