Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These cookies are some of my favorites. They are simple, and so yummy! The basic cookies are a simple dough rolled in sugar and baked. There are also other options, which I had never tried until today. I'll let you know what the family thinks about them later. Make them, enjoy them!

(I usually double the recipe - the estimate below is somewhat under what usually comes out of the recipe. Today, with the doubled recipe, I got 40-50. They're small, so they disappear quickly.)

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3 squares Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
additional sugar

Instructions
Microwave chocolate and margarine bowl on high 2 minutes or until margarine is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir 1 cup sugar into melted chocolate mixture until well blended. Stir in egg and vanilla until completely blended. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1-in balls; roll in additional sugar. Place, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheets (if flatter, crisper cookies are desired, flatten balls with bottom of drinking glass.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Jam-Filled Chocolate Sugar Cookies: Prepare Chocolate Sugar Cookie dough as directed. Roll in finely chopped nuts in place of sugar. Make indentation in each ball; fill center with your favorite jam. Bake as directed.

Chocolate-Caramel Sugar Cookies: Prepare Chocolate Sugar Cookie dough as directed. Roll in finely chopped nuts in place of sugar. Make indentation in each ball; bake as directed. Microwave 1 package (14 ounces) Kraft caramels with 2 tablespoons milk in microwavable bowl on high for 3 minutes or until melted, stirring after 2 minutes. Fill centers of cookies with caramel mixture. Drizzle with melted Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

**I made a few mistakes on these last two types. First, I put caramel (I used dipping caramel that was already runny -which I already had- instead of making the caramel the way it's shown above) on an unbaked cookie. Then, I read the directions more closely and baked several cookies without anything in them... not realizing that the jelly ones were supposed to be filled before baked. They're still pretty good, but I'm bummed that I messed it up! I'll have to try them again soon and do them right!

The following pictures are of the two other versions of the cookies (jam and chocolate-caramel)...

These are my two must-makes for the Christmas season. Love them!

I bought a bread machine!

Yesterday, I bought a bread machine... for $10. Can we say deal?? I love finding deals. I was talking to my mom about bread the other day. I wanted to learn how to make it, and she told me that she mostly just uses her bread maker anymore (at least to mix the dough). So then she told me that we could get one at Savers for $10... which we did.

So, I made my first loaf of bread with my new bread machine yesterday. It was kind of heavy, and didn't mix completely on it's own (I may need to work with it a bit), but it was homemade bread! I love homemade bread for toast, and now I can make it whenever I want - all by myself! Check out a picture of my first loaf of bread:

Easy Decadent Truffles

{from allrecipes}
makes about 40-60

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Footnotes:
*Roll truffles in ground walnuts (or any ground nuts), cocoa, coconut, confectioners' sugar, candy sprinkles, etc.
*To flavor truffles with liqueurs or other flavorings, omit vanilla. Divide truffle mixture into thirds. Add 1 tablespoon liqueur (almond, coffee, orange) to each mixture; mix well

**I took the advice of others who had commented on the recipe - I used only 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar and chocolate chips
**I forgot to sift the sugar... but it seems to have worked anyway...
**I had trouble with the coating/outer layers. The only way I was able to make it work well was to roll them in the powdered sugar. The nuts worked (sort of) on a few... the chocolate looked better after refrigerated, but didn't seem to be working when I was trying to coat the balls. I plan to try that again soon. Coating them in powdered sugar was easy, though!
**I did refrigerate the dough again after I rolled the balls. That seemed to make it a little easier to roll the balls in the chocolate.

Covered Pretzels

A must-have, must-make for the holidays...

Just can't get enough of these little guys. So easy and SO yummy... add a few sprinkles and they look festive! Love, love, love!

Hidden Valley Chicken Strips

{Fast and Fabulous 5 Ingredient Recipes}
serves 1-6

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 T chopped fresh basil, or 1 t crushed dried basil
1 (8 oz) bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, divided
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine cornflakes and basil in a medium bowl. Put 1/2 bottle dressing in a separate bowl. Dip chicken strips i dressing, sprinkle with pepper, and coat in cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on nonstick baking pan, and bake 15 minutes, or until done. Use remaining dressing as a dip.

**First of all, it is absolutely not necessary to use a whole bottle of ranch. I didn't even use it for dipping and it was still delicious.
**If you're wanting to make this for just one or two, just use a bit of ranch, crush up a handful of cornflakes, mix in a little basil and black pepper and you're good to go.
**Nakita and I give it 4 thumbs up - tasty and simple :)

Ranch Broiled Fish

{Best of the Best 5 Ingredient Recipes}

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine or water
2 pounds red snapper or sole

Instructions:
Blend dressing mix, lemon juice, olive oil, and wine in a shallow dish. Add fish and coat well on both sides, then refrigerate, covered, 15-30 minutes.
Place on broiler pan, and broil 9-12 minutes or till fish flake easily when tested with a fork.

 **I made a few alterations:
-water instead of lemon juice
-about 15 minutes in the fridge (didn't cover it though)
-3 tilapia fillets
-I didn't have a broiler pan, so I subbed in a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top

It was pretty yummy. After cooking it, I decided that next time I will probably save out a little bit of the ranch powder to sprinkle on top. The best bites were those that had a little more flavoring... Overall, this was a quick, very easy, quite yummy dish. I served it with some 90 second brown rice.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

 {Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook}
Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs (I used gluten free cookies to accommodate my gluten free almost-sister-in-law)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup margarine, melted
*     *     *
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (I used fat free)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Combine crumbs, pecans and margarine; press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reserve 1 cup batter. Add remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter; mix well. Alternately layer pumpkin and cream cheese batters over crust. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 degrees, 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.

Some of the main ingredients

For the crust

The two batters

First you add the pumpkin

Then the plain (then a little more pumpkin)

Swirl

And you're ready to bake

The finished product

I can't figure out how to make the tops of these yummy cheesecakes not to crack on top, but it doesn't change the taste. It was delicious. Like pumpkin pie in a cheesecake (shocking, right?). It was definitely a hit with all who tasted it!

Gluten Free: You can make this gluten free by using gf ginger snaps. Everything else in the recipe is already ready to go.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Supreme

{Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook}
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
*     *     *
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate pieces

Instructions:
Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blen in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in chocolate pieces; pour over crust. Bake at 325 degrees, 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh mint, if desired.

not the best picture, but you get the idea

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

{Recipe from Weight Watchers}
Makes about 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:
12 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 c fat-free sour cream
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz low-fat cheddar or colby cheese, shredded
1T Dijon mustard
1/4 t table salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t ground nutmeg
2 T dried breadcrumbs
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions: 
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges (known as scalding). Reduce heat to low, add cheese and simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish.

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta.

Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

This is one of my favorite things to bake... so, here it is for you! It comes from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook. To save myself some time today, I have taken a picture of the recipe from the book. I'm not sure if you'll be able to read it or not, so I'll try to add the recipe here later :) For now, here are the pictures!

{Recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook}
Servings: 10-12


Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package brownie mix
* * *
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk chocolate pieces, melted

Instructions:
Grease bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Prepare basic brownie mix as directed on package; pour batter evenly into springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 15 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour over brownie layer. Spoon chocolate over cream cheese mixture; cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 degrees, 35 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

The ingredients

The mixing

The pouring

The swirling

The cheesecake

Lemon-Basil Skillet Chicken with Rice

{Recipe from Fast & Healthy Cookbook}
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 t canola oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)
Paprika
1 1/2 c hot water
1 1/2 c uncooked brown rice
2 T butter or margarine
1 T lemon juice
1 t dried basil leaves
1/4 t salt

Instructions:
1. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with paprika; add to hot skillet. Immediately reduce heat to medium-high; cover and cook 4 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, place hot water; cover tightly. Heat to boiling. Stir in rice; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Turn chicken; cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170 degrees). Remove chicken from skillet; place on serving platter. Cover to keep warm.
4. In same hot skillet, mix butter, lemon juice, basil, and salt. If necessary, return to heat to melt butter.
5. Place rice on serving platter; arrange chicken over rice. Spoon butter mixture over chicken.

My thoughts on the recipe:
*It would be a good idea to start the rice/boiling water first. Even though it's listed as step two, it will take longer than the chicken (to make sure that the rice absorbs all of the water).
*When you take the chicken out of the skillet (3) and before you do the butter mixture (4) REMOVE the skillet from the stove. It did not say this (and I missed the end statement until after the fact), and I didn't do it, and I think I lost a lot of the mixture - which contains half of the flavor.
*In case you don't know, lemon juice goes crazy in a hot skillet - watch out!
*To me, this was a little bit bland, but I think most of that has to do with my mistake listed above. I added a little chili powder to it after it was finished to give it a little kick (I may try cajun seasoning next time... we shall see!).

Enjoy! :)

Sesame Noodles

{Recipe from The Pioneer Woman}

Ingredients:
Pasta (You choose: rice, spaghetti, linguine, angel hair)
1/4 c soy sauce
3-4 cloves (or tsp) of garlic
3 T sugar
2 T rice vinegar
2-3 T sesame oil
1/2 t hot chili oil (can add 1T of red pepper flakes - or less if you don't like as much heat - if you don't have any hot chili oil)
4-5 T canola oil
1-2 T hot water
(optional - add a tablespoon or two of sweet thai chili sauce)

Instructions:
1. Prepare noodles as instructed by box.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients over low heat on the stove.
3. If you'd like to, steam/stir fry some veggies, meat, peanuts, etc.
4. Drain the noodles.
5. Add the sauce (and veggies/meat if you prepared that), mix, and serve!

**NOTE to cooks, this creates a huge amount of sauce. If you're preparing about half a box (possibly a whole box) of pasta, using about 1/2 of the rest of the ingredients will probably work. This is not very spicy in the amounts shown. If you like your food a little bit spicier, add some extra hot chili sauce (my friend and I halved the other ingredients, but left the amount of hot chili sauce).