Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mother had an owl-shaped cookie jar (similar to this one) that was always filled with some kind of tasty treat.  My favorite was chocolate chip cookies.  On days that she baked cookies, the kitchen was filled with a wonderful, sweet, chocolaty aroma.  I always looked forward to a spoonful of cookie dough during the baking process.  On other days, it was simply nice to lift up the owl's head and reach in for a cookie or two.  What I am wondering at this moment is, Who has that cookie jar now?

Prepare
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients
2C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1C chopped pecans
2 1/4C flour
1t baking soda
1t salt
1/2C butter or margarine
1/4C plain Greek yogurt
1/2C sugar
1/2C brown sugar
1t vanilla extract
2T ground flax seed plus 6T water ~or~ 2 eggs

Directions
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl (or mixer bowl) beat butter, yogurt, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy.  Add the eggs or egg substitute and beat well.  Gradually add the flour mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time.  Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie pan or baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 2 minutes then place cookies on wire racks until completely cooled.

Notes
I flattened each cookie slightly before baking.  
I baked one pan at a time on the upper rack to ensure that the cookies had a golden-brown coloring.  

Mom's Hummus

Super Bowl XLVI is coming up!  To help you prepare for any parties you might either host or attend, here is a super-simple hummus recipe.  According to Wikipedia.org, the first recipe that resembles modern-day hummus was from Egypt in the 13th century.

Ingredients
1 can garbanzo beans/chick peas
2T tahini
2T lemon juice
1T olive oil
2 medium-sized cloves garlic or 1/2t garlic powder
1/2t cumin
1/4t salt
Paprika (garnish)
Spoonful of chopped tomatoes (garnish)

Directions
Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.  Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a spoonful of fresh, chopped tomatoes.

Cherry Topping

Cherry Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts.  It is quick and convenient to purchase a can of cherry filling/topping from the grocery store.  However, instead of heading to the baking aisle, go directly to produce and buy cherries.  Making a cherry - or any fruit topping - is easy.  My family does not like overly sweet desserts, so you may need to add more sugar based on the preferences of your family.

Ingredients
2C fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1/2C water
1/4C to 1/2C sugar
2T corn starch

Directions
Remove the stems from the cherries.  Cut each cherry in half.  Separate the halves, placing the one without the pit in a bowl.  Take the half with the pit and remove it using a cherry pitter.  The easiest way to do this is to take a paperclip and bend it so that you end up with two hooks.  Use one hook to scoop out the seed.  I used a the wire handle removed from a small binder clip as my tool.

Place the chopped cherries and 1/4C water in a sauce pan.  Over medium-high heat, stir continuously for about 10 minutes.  The boiling will break down the cherries and the mixture will begin to resemble a sauce.  Add the sugar.  Continue to stir and cook for a couple of minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and remaining 1/4C water.  Mix well with a small, wire whisk.  Add this mixture to the cherry mixture and cook, stirring continuously, until your sauce thickens.

If using the topping for pancakes or waffles, serve warm.  If you are planning to place atop a cheesecake, let the topping cool before using.

Happy Birthday

Today is the one-year birthday of my recipe blog.  I started the blog mainly as an electronic version of my recipe box.  Specifically, my dad wanted a couple of recipes from our Thanksgiving meal and the idea of a blog came to my mind!  Plus, it is more convenient for me to locate the recipes on my blog.

As I began entering recipes, I shared recipes with others, mainly via Facebook.  Knowing that some people would visit and hoping that they would like the blog, I decided to add photos and stories about each recipe.  There are a few recipes that just contain the ingredients and preparation instructions, however I look forward to writing the stories that accompany the recipes. 

For the next year, my goal is to post at least two recipes per month.  I have identified about 25 recipes from my trusty, old recipe box, and I'm sure that I'll come across others as well.  My other goals are to increase the number of followers and to encourage people to enter comments here on the blog rather than on Facebook when they try a recipe.

If you have a great recipe that you would like to contribute let me know.  The recipes need to be vegetarian (using dairy products and eggs) or vegan (plant-based products).  Additionally, please have a personal story related to the recipe.  If you need help developing the story let me know.  Pictures are also nice!

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Today for lunch my wife prepared Chicken & Rice Casserole.  Because it is a "one dish meal" it really only needs one side, perhaps a green vegetable (like asparagus or green beans) or a salad.  We opted for the salad for today's meal.

We don't use salad dressings very often, and usually, the dressings in the refrigerator are beyond the "best used by" expiration date.  A brief search online brought me to this recipe.

Ingredients
1/4C balsamic vinegar
2t dark brown sugar
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/2t salt
1/2t freshly ground black pepper
3/4C olive oil

Prepare
In a small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly until sugar and salt are dissolved.  Add olive oil and mix well with a small wire whisk.

Pizza Dough

I spent two summers in the pizza business.  Before my freshman year of college I delivered pizza for Domino's Pizza.  Domino's makes their dough in large regional facilities and ships it by refrigerated truck to the stores, where it is stored in refrigerators until a couple of hours before it is needed.  Prior to my sophomore year of college I worked for Mr. Gatti's Pizza.  My shift started with mixing the dough for the next day.  I also made pizzas for the buffet, delivered pizzas as needed, refreshed the salad bar, and cleaned the kitchen!

This pizza dough recipe represents the culmination of years of experience in developing the perfect dough!  When I first started making pizzas, I used a bread machine to mix the dough.  However, after a while, I realized it was faster to mix the dough by hand.  As I continued to study dough recipes, I came across a valuable tip that I had forgotten:  mix the dough the day before and let it slow-rise in the refrigerator.  This gives the dough a commercial quality consistency.

The recipe below probably most closely resembles the dough of California Pizza Kitchen. 

Prepare
Although you can use this dough immediately after mixing, allowing it to rise as directed below, and additionally allowing it to rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours, improves the consistency of the dough.

This makes one approx. 12 to 14-inch pizza or two personal pizzas.

Ingredients
2 1/4C flour
1t salt
1pkg rapid rise yeast*
3/4C water
3T olive oil

Directions
Combine flour, salt, and rapid rise yeast.  Heat water to temperature specified on yeast packet (typically 120-130 degrees).  Add water and oil to flour mixture and mix well, continuing to knead for several minutes.

Place in a bowl and let rise in a warm place** for approximately 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.  Punch down the dough and place in a plastic container or plastic bag and place in the refrigerator overnight (24 hours).

Set out the dough 30-60 minutes before eating time.  Roll out or press out dough to the desired thickness (I like the "hand tossed" style that pizza restaurants have).  Using a fork, poke small holes in the dough to prevent bubbles from occurring during baking (I use a professional dough docker).  Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Add sauce, toppings, and cheese as desired and bake for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven, slice as desired, and enjoy!

* If using regular yeast, combine a packet of yeast with 1/4t sugar in 1/4c water (remaining water needed recipe would be 1/2c) heated to 100-110 degrees.  Allow to set for 10 minutes.  Small bubbles should form indicating that the yeast is still active.

** Place the bowl in an UNHEATED oven.  Set the temperature to 400 degrees and allow to preheat for 1 minute (60 seconds).  Turn off the oven.  This will achieve the ideal temperature for dough to rise.

Tasty Breakfast Gravy

On most Sundays, we have pancakes for breakfast.  Occasionally I prefer some variety.  Biscuits with gravy is a favorite of mine.  This post is for the gravy which should always accompany biscuits at breakfast!  The traditional white sauce recipe calls for oil and flour to be combined in the sauce pan with milk added after the flour/oil mix has browned a little bit.  This recipe omits the oil, but the final results are just as tasty.  By substituting sausage with a vegetarian substitute you can achieve a healthier breakfast without compromising on taste.

Prepare
Preheat sauce pan over medium heat.

Ingredients**
3-4T flour
2C milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sage
Vegetarian sausage substitute (Morning Star, etc.) chopped into small pieces and at room temp*

Directions
Place the flour in the preheated sauce pan and stir constantly until the flour begins to brown.  Stir the salt, pepper, and sage into the milk.  Pour the milk into the sauce pan.  Using a small wire whisk, stir the milk until the small clumps of flour are dissolved.  Continue stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Once the sauce begins to boil, cook for an additional minute.  Stir in chopped sausage.  Continue cooking for an additional minute and serve over biscuits, rice, or toast.

*Note
You can also use chopped tofu or boiled eggs in place of sausage.

**Note
For a medium consistency, the ratio of flour to milk is 1T of flour per 1/2 cup of milk.

Ubiquitous Peach Cobbler

I can't remember when I first ate peach cobbler. Mostly likely, with a grandmother who was born and spent her entire life in Alabama and a mother who also cooked with a Southern flair, it was early in my life. Searching "peach cobbler" on bing.com yielded 5.9 million hits. The recipe below is a combination of three recipes that have been in my recipe box years.

 
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3-4C peeled and sliced peaches*
 
Ingredients
1C flour
1/2C sugar
2t baking powder
1/2t salt
4T butter
1C milk
3-4C peeled and sliced peaches
 
Directions
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Slice butter into a 9x13 pan and place in the oven until the butter is melted. Add milk to dry ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into 9x13 pan and spread out gently. Place peaches over the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
 
*Tip #1
Peach skins become tough when cooked. To easily remove the skins, place peaches in a pot of vigorously boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately place into a bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water (this stops the cooking process). The skins will easily slip off the peaches.
 
*Tip #2
Nectarines can be substituted for peaches and do not require peeling.
 

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Black Bean Salsa

This recipe is quick and easy to put together.  It is best if prepared a day ahead.

Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small purple onion, finely chopped
1/2C cilantro, finely chopped
1/2C fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4C olive oil
1/3C lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2t salt
1 1/2t cumin

Tofu Sour Cream

An easy and healthy way to enjoy sour cream. This recipe makes about 3 cups of sour cream.
 
Ingredients
1/2C water
1/2C lemon juice
1/4C olive oil
1T sugar
1T onion powder
2t salt
2t garlic powder
1 pound firm tofu
 
Directions
Combine all ingredients except tofu into a blender. Blend briefly to dissolve powdered ingredients. Crumble tofu into blender and continue blending at high speed until smooth.
 

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Crock Pot "Baked" Beans

A few months ago I posted a recipe for Classic Coleslaw.  Today I am sharing a recipe for baked beans that I found and adapted.  What makes this recipe unique is that it starts with navy beans - not prepared baked beans with additional ingredients. 

Ingredients
4 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, finely chopped
6T molasses
1T salt
1/4t black pepper
1/2t dry mustard
1C ketchup
2T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 brown sugar
1/2C water (approx.)

Preparation
Place beans and onion in crock pot.  In a pan, combine remaining ingredients and heat until boiling.  Pour over beans and mix well.  Add enough water to almost cover beans (approx. 1/2C).  Place crock pot setting to "high" until boiling then low temperature to "low."  Allow to cook for 4-5 hours.  Usually I prepare the night before and turn off the crock pot before turning in for the night.  The evening rest allows the flavors of the sauce to soak into the beans resulting in a fantastic flavor.  About two hours before serving, I reheat the beans.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Prepare
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients
1 1-oz. sq. unsweetened chocolate
1/4C brewed coffee
2T butter
4 eggs
1C light corn syrup
1/2C sugar
1 1/2C chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
6-8 pecan halves

Directions
Combine chocolate and coffee in a medium saucepan; cook over low heat stirring constantly until chocolate melts.  Remove from heat and add butter.  Stir until butter melts.  Let mixture cool.  In a separate pan combine eggs, syrup, and sugar.  Heat until light and fluffy.  Gradually stir in chocolate mixture.  Stir in pecans.  Pour into pastry shell.  Garnish with pecan halves.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until filling is set.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

My mother loved to cook and prepared many dishes for eating at home and sharing with others.  For Christmas in 1990 (when I was 21) my mother prepared a recipe box with several of my favorite dishes.  This has been the greatest gift I have received.  I use her recipes frequently and have added my own over time.  She passed away in 1995 and I treasure her collection of handwritten and typed (on a typewriter) recipes.  This casserole was a favorite of my family and was also popular at church potlucks. Today, I created this casserole for a potluck at work.  My daughter asked, "Why don't you ever make this for us to eat at home?"  I dished out a little for her and smoothed out the dish for tomorrow!

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1C diced celery
1C long grain white rice, uncooked
1C diced chicken (1/4" cubes)
1C diced carrots
1/4C oil
2C vegetable broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions
Combine onion, celery, rice, chicken, and carrots in a medium baking dish.  In a pan, mix oil, broth, and soup.  When boiling pour into baking dish and mix vegetable mixture with liquid mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Photo
Taken with Hipstamatic photo app for iPhone using Tejas lens and Dream Canvas film.

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

My parent's anniversary was February 13 so that they would awaken as a married couple on Valentine's Day.  Short of getting married, nothing is as perfect for Valentine's Day as a sweet treat.  These cupcakes are tasty and healthy, substituting the mile-high pile of frosting with preserves and fresh fruit.

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.  Prepare fresh fruit to be used for topping.

Wet Ingredients
1/2C vanilla yogurt
2/3C milk
1/4C applesauce
3T oil
3/4C sugar
1 1/2t vanilla

Dry Ingredients
1 1/4C flour
2T cornstarch
3/4t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/4t salt

Directions
Combine wet ingredients and sugar in a bowl.  Mix well.  Sift dry ingredients into the bowl and  mix until a smooth consistency is achieved.  Pour into muffin cups, using approximately 1/4C of batter for each cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes.  Remove muffins from cups and allow to cool on a cooling rack until room temperature.

Topping
Fruit preserves
Fresh fruit
Glaze (1C powdered sugar + 3t milk)

Spread a generous layer of fruit preserves on each cupcake.  Arrange fruit on top.  Using a fork, drizzle the glaze on top of the fruit.

Mac & Cheese

From Wikipedia: Macaroni is mentioned in various medieval Italian sources, though it's not always clear whether it's a noodle or a prepared dish. However, pasta and cheese casseroles are recorded in cookbooks of the time such as the Liber de Coquina showing that they were a known style of dish. A cheese and noodle casserole known as Makerouns was recorded in an English cookbook in the 14th century. Thomas Jefferson, who called all pasta "macaroni," is known to have had a pasta maker as early as 1793 and to have served a macaroni pie at the White House in 1802. There are also records of him purchasing, or attempting to purchase imported pasta after his term as president.It has been popular in the United Kingdom since the Victorian era.

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
3T olive oil
3T flour
1/2 salt
1 1/2C milk
1/2t nutmeg, ground
1/4t ground cayenne pepper
2C shredded cheese
1/4C bread or cracker crumbs

Directions
In a large pot prepare the macaroni according to the directions on the package.  Drain and set aside.  In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil.  Stir in the flour and salt.  Gently cook, whisking flour and oil together, until smooth and the flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk.  Gently bring sauce to a bubble while stirring frequently.  Allow the sauce to thicken, then stir in nutmeg and cayenne pepper.  Stir in the cheese a handful at a time.  When cheese has melted the sauce is ready.  Place the macaroni in a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and stir until elbows are well-coated.  Sprinkle bread/cracker crumbs on top and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. 

Makes 4 entree or 8 side servings.

Eggless Omelet Batter

Ingredients
1 pound, firm tofu
6T flour
1/2C water
1/4c nutritional yeast flakes
1t baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2t tumeric
1/2t Indian black salt (kala namak)
1/4t white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Taco Casserole

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound ground beef or 1 can vegeburger
2 packets taco seasoning
1C tomato sauce or salsa
1 15oz. can pinto beans
1 15oz. can whole kernel corn
1 recipe of Prize Winning Cornbread Muffins

Directions
Saute onion and bell pepper.  In a separate large pan, combine meat with spices and cook.  Add tomato sauce.  Stir in pinto beans and corn.  Add sauteed onion and bell peppers to meat mixture.  While this mixture is cooking, prepare the cornbread recipe.  Pour meat/vegetable mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Pour cornbread mixture on top and spread so that the meat/vegetable mixture is covered.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Taco Seasoning

There are several different spice mixes available at the grocery store.  Previously, there is a post for Chili Spice Mix #1.  The taco seasoning mix is slightly different.  I use it for the Taco Casserole recipe.  Preparing your own mixes at home provides better flavor, especially with fresh ingredients, and also eliminates the preservatives included in the commercial mixes.  

Mix together in a bowl (equivalent of two commercial packets)
2T chili powder
1T ground cumin
2t salt
1t paprika
1/2t garlic powder
1/2t onion powder
1/2t crushed oregano
1/4t crushed red pepper
pinch black pepper

Gravy

I was around 12 years old when I visited the orthodontist to receive braces.  I remember that my dad took me to the appointment.  After a couple of hours of keeping my mouth open while my new hardware was installed, I was hungry and ready to eat.  I asked the staff, "What can I eat?"  They replied, "You can eat anything you want."  I asked my dad if we could eat at Wendy's and he obliged.  However, when I bit down into my hamburger I just burst out crying - my teeth hurt so much!  All I could do was sort of gum some fries like an old man.  It was not a happy experience, but definitely memorable.  Yesterday, my daughter, now 12, had her braces put on.  She is undergoing the same pain as her teeth re-adjust.  For dinner tonight I made mashed potatoes.  Initially, I did not make gravy, but she asked for that too.

Ingredients
2T olive oil or butter
2T flour
salt, to taste
1C broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)

Directions
In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil or melt the butter.  Using a wooden spoon or small wire whisk add the flour and salt to the oil/butter and mix well.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Pour in the broth and stir to combine with flour/oil mixture.  Make sure no clumps remain.  Keep stirring until gravy boils for approximately 1 minute.  Gravy will thicken as it cooks.

Pancakes

My father-in-law was born on the border of Korea and the USSR (now Russia) at the edge of Siberia.  As communist forces entered Korea, my father-in-law along with his parents and siblings fled south into to what is now South Korea.  During the Korean Conflict, he found refuge on an American ship.  It was there that he first tasted pancakes.  Years later, right after my wife and I married, we fixed pancakes for breakfast while my in-laws were visiting.  My father-in-law was excited and said he hadn't tasted such good pancakes since the 1950s.  Because they are my daughter's favorite breakfast, we have pancakes every Sunday.

Preparation
Preheat two pans on medium heat.

Ingredients (makes 4 pancakes, 5-inches in diameter)
1/2C white flour
1/2C oat flour (see below)
2T sugar
2t baking powder
1 egg or 1T ground flax seed + 2T water
1T oil
1C milk

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Oil pans lightly.  Pour approximately 1/3C batter into each pan.  When bubbles formed on top begin to pop, flip the pancake over and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. 

Oat flour
Take 2C of oats (quick or regular) and grind in a blender until a flour consistency is reached.  Store in a sealed container or plastic bag.

Classic Coleslaw

For six months I worked in Jasper, Alabama.  There was a great barbecue place - I don't remember the name - that served fantastic barbecue and sides.  This was a small restaurant with just a few tables.  If you decided to eat there, you had to arrive early for lunch.  The proprietor only prepared so much barbecue and sides for the day.  When the restaurant ran out of its daily supply, it closed for the day.   For burgers and barbecue, you can serve coleslaw on the sandwich or as a side.  You definitely need to prepare this ahead of time for maximum flavor.  

Toss together in a bowl:
6C cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded

Combine in a separate bowl:
2/3C mayonnaise
2T vinegar
2T olive oil
2T sugar
1/2t celery salt
1/4t salt

Stir liquid mixture into tossed cabbage/carrot mixture.  Chill before serving.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

At the high school I attended, the location for the senior class trip was Washington, DC.  Apparently, at some point in years past, students misbehaved on a class trip and the board decided that future trips would be to DC.  Our classes motto was "Find a path or make one" and we decided early on in the year that we would make a path to a different destination for class trip.  We ended up going on a mission trip to Mexico City followed by a couple of days relaxing in Acapulco.  That was the first time in my life I tasted freshly picked, ripened-on-the-plant pineapple and other tropical fruits.  If you can't personally bring back fresh pineapple from Hawaii or Mexico for this cake, canned pineapple from the store will be just fine.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 pan.
1 20oz can pineapple rings (reserve liquid)
1/4C unpacked brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
1C sugar
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1t baking soda

Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
1C pineapple juice (if less than 1C add water as needed)
1/3C oil
1T white vinegar

Directions
Arrange pineapple rings in the pan and sprinkle with 1/4C unpacked brown sugar.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.  Pour mixture over the pineapple rings.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven and flip over onto a plate (preferable square).  Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.