Christmas Cookies

This year I tried 2 new Christmas cookie recipes. I highly recommend both of them! I thought they were pretty cute and they tasted good too!

Candy Cane Blossoms

Oreo Truffles

Ciabatta Bread

 I came across a super easy bread recipe and decided to give it a try. My niece said "Amy's yummy bread is THE best ever"!  You'll just have to try it for yourself!

Ciabatta Bread

4 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt (1 tsp if using table salt)
1/4 tsp yeast + 2 cups warm water (put in microwave for 30 seconds)

Mix all ingredients together just until moist.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 8-12 hours on counter.
Put on greased cookie sheet (or silpat on cookie sheet) and gently form.
Bake at 400 degrees 35-40 mins.

I added sunflower seeds to the top. You could also try cranberries. Let me know if you have other great ideas!

Cake Mix Cookies

These are the EASIEST cookie to make! There are only 3 ingredients and they are fantastic!

Cake Mix Cookies

1 Cake Mix (your choice!)

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Oil

Roll into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 7-10 min. (I usually bake mine 7-8 min because I like mine chewy)

I love to experiment with this recipe and see what I come up with. Here are some ideas:

• Roll the top of the cookies in sprinkles. I especially like the Wilton Mint Crunch (see here).
• Make homemade Oreos with vanilla frosting.

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies w/Lemon Zest

This Christmas I decided to try these Sugar Cookies. The lemon zest really made it intriguing to me. I thought they turned out really good! I will be making them again!

Uncooked Tortillas

My sister in law makes the best tortillas from scratch, but there is no way that I have that kind of time. So, I found these Uncooked Tortillas that are a great substitute. They are really easy to cook. They are great for Quesadillas, Fajitas, Tacos, Wraps, etc.

I have found them at Costco, some Grocery Stores, Walmart.

For quesadillas, I usually just add cheese, chicken, salsa. Makes a great lunch!

Pumpkin Bread

It's FALL! I love the leaves changing, cooler weather, and I am definitely ready for the holidays!!! I love holiday baking. So I decided to start with Pumpkin Bread to start off my holiday baking kick.

Pumpkin Bread

4 Eggs

3 c. Sugar

1 c. Oil

2/3 c. Water

2 c. Pumpkin

1 tsp. Ground Cloves

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

3 1/2 c. Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Nuts (optional)

Beat eggs until lemon colored. Add Sugar, Oil, Water & Pumpkin and beat well. Add dry ingredients. Mix Well.

Makes 2 loaf pans. Grease pans. Bake at 325º for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Happy Fall!!!

~Amy

Mimi's Cafe Buttermilk Spice Muffins

One of my favorite things is the Buttermilk Spice Muffins at Mimi's Cafe. You can find the recipe here along with some other great recipes. I am also anxious to try the Spinach and Artichoke dip and the Corn Chowder! I attempted the Buttermilk Spice Muffins and they turned out great!

Serves: 12

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Muffin Batter: 1 cup Sugar ½ cup Butter or margarine 3 Eggs 2-½ cups Flour 2 tsp. Baking soda 1 tsp. Nutmeg ½ tsp. Cinnamon ¾ cup + 1 tbsp. Buttermilk Nut Topping: ½ cup Sugar 1 cup Walnuts (finely chopped) ½ tsp. Cinnamon ½ tsp. Nutmeg Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon. Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts. Make the nut topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry. Home ovens heat differently from commercial ovens so you may need to adjust the temperature or the baking time accordingly. Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six Mimi's-size muffins. If using the jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.

Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is a family recipe. We make breakfast casserole every Christmas & Easter. I most recently made it for my friend's baby shower. It's great because it feeds a lot of people.

Breakfast Casserole

Serves 12 – 15

Frozen hash brown potatoes (30 oz. bag of shredded potatoes)

3 cups milk

8 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 roll of cooked bulk breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean’s hot is good)

*Green chiles, sliced mushrooms, chopped peppers (green, red, or orange),

sliced green onions or other onions (optional – use any or all as you prefer)

2 cups of shredded cheese (use more if desired)

Spray a 9 X 13 pan and spread frozen shredded potatoes to cover the bottom

of the pan. Sprinkle cooked sausage (or chopped ham) evenly over potatoes.

Spread optional veggies over top. Top with shredded cheese.

In a separate bowl use a whisk to beat the following ingredients together:

8 eggs

3 cups milk

½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Pour egg mixture over the layers in the 9 X 13 pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until the egg mixture is well set. (It

often takes up to 60 minutes) (Insert a knife in the middle to check doneness)

Enjoy!

~Amy

Avocado & Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite summer lunches. I don't have an exact recipe.

Avocado & Chicken Salad

1 Avocado

1 can of Chicken Breast

Mayo

chopped Celery

Curry Powder

Pepper

Chicken Salad:

Put 1 can of Chicken Breast in a bowl. Mix in a (2-3) of spoons full of Mayo. Mix in Curry Powder to taste. Add chopped Celery to mixture.

Place cut up Avocado on a plate. Top with Chicken Salad mixture. Add pepper to taste.

Cheese Tortellini Salad

Cheese Tortellini Salad

Cheese Tortellini (I used the double pack from Costco)

Bernsteins Italian dressing

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Julienne sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Crushed Red Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Cook the Tortellini per instructions on the package. Strain it. Once the Tortellini is room temperature add Bernsteins Italian dressing (I used the whole bottle for my double pack of Tortellini), a little Olive Oil (helps keep the pasta from sticking to each other), Salt & Pepper, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, a little crushed Red Pepper, and some Parmesan Cheese. Refrigerate until ready to be served.

* I do not have exact measurements. Just put in how much you want and what looks good. It is really simple and great for summer BBQs!

Enjoy!!!

~Amy

Mozzarella & Tomato Salad Wrap

Mozzarella & Tomato Salad Wrap

Ingredients:

• Flat Out
• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomato
• Mozzarella
• Balsamic Vinegar

*You can buy them at Costco in a 3 pack.

Fill the Flat Out with Romaine Lettuce, chopped tomato, and cut up Mozzarella. Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar over the top and simply make it into a wrap! They are great for lunches!

Enjoy!!!

~Amy

Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

1/2 c. Shortening

1 c. Sugar

1 Egg

2 Bananas (mashed well)

1 c. Milk

2 c. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

Bake 15 min @ 375*

*The mini muffins are great for the little ones!

If you are not big on Bananas, try the Brown Sugar Muffins.

Brown Sugar Muffins

1/2 c. Shortening

1 c. Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 c. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 c. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 c. Nuts (optional)

Bake 15 minutes @ 375*

Enjoy!!!

~Amy

Salsa Verde Carnitas & El Torito Dressing

Salsa Verde Carnitas
(from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds pork butt (pork shoulder)
• 2 cups salsa verde, bottled, canned, or homemade
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1 teas dried)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt

• 12 to 16 corn tortillas, heated and softened
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija Mexican farmer's cheese, or some grated Monterey Jack cheese
• Crema fresca, crema Mexican, or sour cream
• Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Method

1 Trim the excess fat from the roast. Put the meat in a large casserole or Dutch oven with salsa verde, onion, stock, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3 hours.

2 Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove meat from liquid in pot and put the meat into a roasting pan. With 2 forks, tear meat into large shreds. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until parts are brown and crispy.

3. While the meat is roasting, skim and discard fat from liquid in the casserole pan. Boil juices, stirring, until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.

4 Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Stir in chopped cilantro. Season with salt.

Serves 6.

This salad is from one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants in CA called El Torito. They actually sell the dressing in grocery stores in CA, but I like this version much better!

El Torito Salad Dressing

• 1 Tbsp Original Ranch Salad Dressing Mix (Dry Mix)
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 c. Low-Fat Buttermilk
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup Fresh Cilantro (long stems cut off)
• 2 Tbsp Roasted & Salted Pepitas
• 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/3 c. Vegetable Oil
• Salt & Pepper
  

In blender combine all ingredients except oil. Whip or process until well bended or mixture is green. Slowly add oil through top cover of blender jar while motor is running. Process until dressing is smooth. Add Salt & Pepper to taste. If needed, refrigerate until well chilled. Serve as desired over chilled greens sprinkled with extra Pepitas.

El Torito Salad

• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Pepitas
• Queso Fresco
• Tortilla Strips

Enjoy!!!

~Amy

Coffee Cake

This is a family favorite!

Coffee Cake
1st Mixture:
2 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. White Sugar
1 tbsp. Nutmeg
1 tbsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Oil
Mix together. Then remove 3/4 c. and set aside for the topping.

2nd Mixture:
1 Egg
1 c. Milk
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 c. Vinegar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
Add to the 1st Mixture and stir until blended.

Grease 9x13 pan. Pour mixture into pan. Then sprinkle topping across the top.
Bake @ 350* for 30 - 35 minutes.

Great for Breakfast or even Dessert!!!

~Amy

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

4 cans of Beans (be creative and choose your favorites - Black Beans, Kidney, Pinto, etc.)
1 can Tomato Soup
1 can Tomato Sauce
1 big can Chopped Peeled Tomatoes
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can Corn
1 1/2 lb Ground Beef browned (I like to cook with onions)

Do not drain any of the cans.
Mix everything together in a large pot.
Cook Ground Beef in a frying pan. Add browned Ground Beef to large pot.
Cook until soup is bubbling.

Toppings:
Cheese
Tortilla strips
Olives

*You can also make it with Chicken instead of Ground Beef!

~Amy