Cinnamon Snap Cookies

The best way I can describe these cookies is that they're like ginger snap cookies, without all the spice & zip - just cinnamon and molasses flavors combining to make a soft, melt in your mouth cookie! You will love them... I am sure of it.. And I'm certain they are not going to last long in my house once my husband tries them! :)

Cinnamon Snap Cookies

3/4 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar (could substitute white sugar)
1 egg
1/4 cup of molasses (use glass measuring cup & spray it)
2 1/4 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar with a mixer until creamy; add the egg and molasses and mix well. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and gently mix together. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixer until well combined.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and dip into the raw sugar; place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes; cool on wire racks.

Yields: 2-1/2 or 3 dozen

My Notes:

I used margarine sticks instead of butter (it takes 1 1/2 sticks) and to soften them, I put them in the the microwave... which means it got more than softened, it slightly melted... and then when it came time to roll the dough into balls, the dough was not a consistency that was 'rollable' I guess you'd say... not sure if it was cuz of my melted margarine or what. So I put the bowl in the fridge for a bit, but even after 20 mins. or so, the dough still seemed pretty mushy and I just used my fingers to try & mold it into a ball and then rolled it in sugar. They still turned out nice & round. I also only put mine in for 8 mins. each time... I know my oven and I know I didn't want them to get crispy or burnt... and 8 mins. was just perfect.. they were soft & chewy and wonderful!

Bread baking

So I dusted off my bread machine and started baking bread again... I've only ever used the mixes you buy at the grocery store (which includes everything but the water!) But I decided to become adventurous and start making bread from scratch, though it's not like it's much work when you simply have to measure and dump the ingredients in your bread machine, but still... I'm considering this bread to be "homemade!" hehe.

First I tried a recipe I got off the internet for plain 'ole white bread, but was NOT impressed with it... well, I mean, it was good, but the top/center caved in and I used regular all-purpose flour to make it & it just wasn't the best bread ever. So then I went to the library and got a few bread machine recipe books and just randomly picked one which I had all the ingredients for (and I also purchased bread flour in the meantime).... and this loaf of bread was SOOOOO good... And it's a sweet bread, so it took only 2.5 hours instead of the typical 3 hours... So that was nice... amazingly I timed it just right and it was done RIGHT at the same time as our dinner that night, so we got to eat it spread with melted butter and steaming hot and OH MY was it good! So, if you are looking to make a good loaf of bread, here's your recipe :)

Sally Lunn Bread

For 1.5 lb loaf:

1 cup milk (room temp)
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. butter
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp. bread machine yeast

1) Measure ingredients into baking pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Insert pan into the oven chamber.

2) Select "sweet cycle".

** Okay, so I don't really like that those are ALL the instructions given, so here is exactly what I did :)

1) Spray the pan w/non-stick spray.
2) Pour milk in pan. (I put it in the microwave for a short while until considered room temp.)
3) Melt butter in small bowl. Add beaten egg to butter. Pour in the pan.
4) Put flour in the pan, on top of the liquid ingredients.
5) Sprinkle sugar over the flour.
6) Make small hole with your finger in the top of the flour/sugar and pour yeast into hole.
7) Select 1.5 lb loaf (if your machine has a size option) & select "sweet" cycle and "light" colored crust.
8) Let the bread machine do the rest! (Toward the beginning, I tend to check the dough and occasionally use a rubber scraper to get any dry ingredients which are simply sitting in the corner and not getting mixed w/the dough).

Hope you enjoy this yummy bread!!

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

This is a delicious cake - and it was the first time I've ever made a cake from scratch... It turned out REALLY good, but I used my bundt pan to make it and perhaps I didn't spray it or flour it enough, or let it cool long enough before trying to remove it from the pan, but1/4 of the cake remained stuck in the pan. I did my best though to remove it & mold it back to the rest of the cake. :) So it still tasted perfect, it just wasn't perfect looking. I also didn't try the frosting recipe - I simply used a can of chocolate frosting which I added a small amount of milk to in order to make it thin enough to drizzle over the cake. Hope you try this recipe & enjoy it!

HERSHEY'S "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. (Use a whisk throughout.) Turn heat down to low. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Cookies 'n Crescent Sweet Rolls

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet! My husband loves these... though they are pretty sweet and you may not like them for breakfast.

Cookies 'n Crescent Sweet Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
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Rolls
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

6 inches Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies (from 16.5-oz roll)

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Glaze
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 teaspoons milk

DIRECTIONS:
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1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 9-inch round cake pan or glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 2 long rectangles. Overlap long sides 1/2 inch to form 1 large rectangle. Press seam and perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough.

3. Spoon small amounts of cookie dough evenly over crescent dough; press or pat to evenly cover. Sprinkle with pecans. (I omitted the pecans.) Starting at long side, roll up; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 pieces. Arrange cut side up in pan.

4. Bake 28 to 35 minutes or until crescent dough is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve warm.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
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1 Roll: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 90); Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 220mg; Total Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 17g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2

A few chicken and beef ideas

I have no grand title for the first recipe I'm sharing, because this is simply how I make beef in my crock pot all the time... it was passed along to me by my Mom... and you can also use this same recipe with bone-in split chicken breast in the slow cooker...

I usually buy certified angus beef round, boneless bottom round steak at Meijer... since I buy such a small cut, I only pay about $3.50 or less for it... and it's just enough for Chris & I (the girls won't eat beef this way, so it works for us to only buy a small piece).


And now for the recipe part -- we take one beef bouillion cube and dissolve it in 1 cup boiling water. (Maya helped me with this part...) I pour the broth over the beef and then sprinkle (just enough to cover the meat) some pepper, seasoned salt, minced onions and minced garlic. (If you're making chicken in the slow cooker, I use the same seasonings, but I use a chicken bouillion cube instead of beef).
I let the meat cook on low all day long and it's wonderful at dinner time! With both chicken and beef, you can use the broth in the cooker and make some wonderful gravy with it! I usually put some of the broth in a saucepan, heat it until boiling, and then slowly add a mixture of flour & water, all the while stirring, until the gravy is as thick as I'd like. (Sorry I don't measure anything!)

Saucy Parmesan Chicken This recipe is taken from kraftfoods.com by clicking on the address below!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/saucy-parmesan-chicken-107318.aspx

I had some chicken in the fridge and wanted to make something different, but simple.. and this recipe was it! It turned out really good, but ours didn't look anything like the picture. I even ate the leftover chicken for lunch the next day, by cutting it up and sprinkling it on top of tortilla chips with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top of that and it became delicious chicken nacho's! :)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

MIX dressing and cheese; pour over chicken in shallow dish. Turn chicken over to evenly coat both sides of each breast. (I simply threw the chicken in a ziplock bag with the mixture & marinated it this way.)

REFRIGERATE 30 min. to marinate, turning breasts over after 15 min.

HEAT oven to 425ºF. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 20 min. or until done (165ºF).

Brownies and the perfect pan..

I got the "Perfect Brownie Pan" for Christmas and I had to try it out... (yes, it's the one you've seen many commercials for..) I must say I used a regular old box of brownie mix to try out the pan, but I'm also including a recipe below for homemade brownies which I've made before and are really delicious. :) If you wonder whether you should buy the perfect brownie pan, do it! They sell it at Wal-greens and Target for $19.99... (Or at least they did during the Christmas season!)

Homemade Fudge Brownies

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

COMBINE granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl.

Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture.

Spread into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.