Sunday, December 18, 2011

Soft Gingerbread Cookies




INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. molasses
4 1/2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

extra sugar for rolling
2 12 oz. bags white chocolate baking chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and molasses and mix well. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients together then slowly combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Form dough into 1-2 inch balls and roll into sugar. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes.

2. Melt your white chocolate chips and dip half of the cookie into it or drizzle over the top of your cookies and add sprinkles. Place onto wax paper and let dry. Enjoy!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Ultimate Sunday Dinner of Meat and Potatoes




My sister in law Angela shared this recipe with me. She says its her absolute favorite dish. It was awesome! I love a good roast and this one is simple, easy to prepare and absolutely delicious!

INGREDIENTS
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 lbs. top round, in one big hunk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, sliced
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 bottle dry red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a 2-count of olive oil in an oven proof braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Season the meat well with salt and pepper, put in the pan, and brown for 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure it's really well seared on all sides-this is where the flavor comes from. Take the meat out of the pan and put it on a plate.

Add the onion, rosemary, and thyme to the pan and stir and cook for about 5 minutes to give the onion a good sear. Now add the wine, broth, and bay leaves and bring the whole thing to a simmer. Return the meat to the pan. Cover, put the pan in the oven, and cook until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hrs.

Remove the meat to a platter. Taste the braising liquid for salt and pepper and discard the bay leaves. Slice the meat and serve in shallow bowls atop a big spoonful of mashed potatoes. Top with some of the sauce and garnish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil to finish.

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookie



Our cute little neighbor Cooper made these cookies all by himself for our family. His mom later told us that they found the recipe on the cover of a Utah magazine and it received a #1 Christmas cookie award. I love shortbread cookies or Mexican wedding cookies so these were a HIT at our house!

INGREDIENTS
1 c. soft butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips


DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the mixer. Pour baking chips into the cookie dough and be careful not to over mix.

Form small cookie balls onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. *I used a small cookie scoop and was able to make 40 balls. I also baked each batch for 11 minutes; maybe my oven temp is off.

Sausage and Penne Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce


My sister in law Jenny shared this yummy recipe with us. I'm not a huge fan of Italian sausage so we both use regular ground sausage and it works great!

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. hot Italian Colosimo sausage
3/4 cup white wine
1 14 oz. can tomatoes
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/4 c. fresh Italian parsley, minced
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. penne pasta, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS
In a large frying pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add sausage and cook until done. Add white wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes. Add cream and cook until slightly thickened. Add parsley, Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta and serve.