Yum!

Creamy Parmesan Dressing

2010-01-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite salad is the Bistecca Insalata from the Brio Tuscan Grille restaurant. The salad is made up of an Iceberg Lettuce Wedge, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, diced Roma tomatoes, and of course ... creamy Parmesan dressing. I love this dressing, so I went home and worked on the recipe and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

***

Creamy Parmesan Dressing

Ingredients:
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise (the real thing)
1 tsp Garlic (you can use 1 clove crushed garlic if you prefer fresh)
1 Cup Shredded Parmesan
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp Vinegar
Salt/Pepper (to taste, which usually means a dash or two of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)

Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until well blended. You still want some of the cheese to be in small pieces, sort of chewy. This allows little bursts of Parmesan flavor when you bite into the salad.

Mom's Chocolate Brownies

2009-10-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Years ago, before Betty Crocker made to-die-for brownies, I used to make my brownies from scratch. While they were really really good, I switched over because of simplicity. One of these days I may find my original recipe and see if they are as good as I remember them or if they were just a tall tale on my part. Having tried many different brands and cooking methods I found this recipe to be the best. You can make it with or without the cream cheese filling. The filling just adds more calories and makes them a little more decadent. With that in mind, if you are having a bad day, throw in the filling!

***

Mom's Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
1 Box Betty Crocker's Hershey Walnut Supreme Brownie Mix
1 Box Betty Crocker's Hershey Triple Chunk Brownie Mix
4 Eggs (2 per package)
1 Cup Crisco Canola Oil (1/2 cup per package)
6 Tbsp Water (3 Tbsp per package)
1 Container Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Frosting

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, softened
1 Egg
1/4 cup sugar, regular granulated
1/2 tsp vanilla

I use a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Lightly spray with Pam cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*.

In a small bowl cream together cream cheese, one egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and half teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.

Prepare Triple Chunk Brownie Mix according to the package. (The package labeling might have changed, which they sometimes do when they change ingredients, so follow their directions.) Pour this mixture into the 13 x 9 pan.

Prepare Walnut Brownie Mix according to the package as well and set aside.

Take the cream cheese mixture and drop by large tablespoons all over the triple chunk mixture. Once you have completely put all cream cheese all top of the brownie mix you can drag a knife threw the clumps of cream cheese so it all sort of connects. This will not be a smooth finished cover of mixture. Now you will pour the Walnut Brownie mix on top of this layer. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

The trick to really good brownies is to not let them overcook. You will not get a cake-like consistency with them. It will be more gooey with a little bit of a cake consistency around the edge.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. This allows the brownies to continue cooking without burning. Frost the brownies at this time. A lot of the frosting will melt into the brownies making them even more moist and chewy. You can eat them warm or cold, they are great either way!

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

(I have no clue why this picture turned this way. Perhaps the extra calories caused it.)

Someone broke into the brownies before I could grab the camera!

Super Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies

2009-10-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

These cookies are very easy. I make them rather large so with this recipe I only get about 15 cookies, if you make them more snack size you will get about 30. This recipe can be doubled for double the enjoyment.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, at room temperature) (I also use salted butter and it works out fine)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg (also at room temperature) (you can put the egg in warm water for 5 minutes in lieu of room temperature)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp cream of tarter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

***

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

***

Place oven rack in center position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter and sugar with an electric mixer, I use my stand mixer. Add egg, mix until creamy. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl until well blended. Slowly add flour mixture into butter mixture.

In a small bowl or plate, mix together sugar and cinnamon and set aside. This is where the cookies become either "happy-sized" or "snack-sized." Roll a small amount of dough into a ball in the palm of your hands, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange balls in rolls at least two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. I bake mine the full 10 minutes and they came out perfect, soft and chewy. Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then move them to a cookie cooling rack.

Enjoy while you can as they will be gone before you know it!

Blending dry ingredients.

Creaming together all the rest of the ingredients.

Be sure to roll cookies in cinnamon sugar before baking.

Fresh from the oven, cookies should not be brown for a softer cookie.

Cookies cooling on cookie rack and ready to eat!

My Little Bowl of Happiness

2009-09-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

First a little history into my mixing bowl. I believe I bought this bowl in 1981. I was living in England at the time and this was way before the internet, cable, and inexpensive phone calls. I lived for my mail. I used to order any and everything that was either cheap or free. I saved everything from Kool-Aid packets to Bisquick box tops. I could not tell you how many boxes of Bisquick I had to purchase to get this bowl, but I loved it from the first time I opened the box. The funny thing is I stopped using Bisquick when I returned to the States.

I have used this bowl for mixing every delicious recipe that has ever passed through my kitchen. It has a very special place in my heart. The kids used it to help bake cakes when they were little. I look at this bowl and smile, because I don't just see an old yellow mixing bowl (missing the little rubber ring on the bottom), but rather a bowl that helped to bake up lots of happy memories. I am sure this bowl has been a part of thousands of chocolate chip cookies and more pans of brownies and cakes than I can remember. I call this my Little Bowl of Happiness.

Simple Ranch Dill Dip

2009-09-17T00:46:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

1 Package Hidden Valley Inn Original Ranch Dip Mix (1 oz)

1 16 oz Container Sour Cream

1 Tbsp (not quite full) Dill Seasoning

1 Large Sourdough Bread Bowl

...

Optional:

1 Loaf Sourdough Bread

...

Mix together the Dip Mix, Sour Cream, and Dill. Refrigerate at least one hour. When ready to serve hollow out the Bread Bowl. Set bowl aside and tear up bread that you removed from the bowl, tear into bread into pieces the size of a quarter or larger. At this time if you have the extra loaf of bread you can tear it up as well. I usually do this with a small extra loaf of bread, if you double the recipe then you will need an large extra loaf of sourdough. Pile the dip into the middle of the bread bowl and serve.

This can also be served with potato chips. I prefer Ruffles. :) This can also be served in a glass bowl and placed into the center of a bread ring.

I make this dip for every party I have, I also take it to parties or get-togethers. Everyone raves for it. It is probably the simplest thing I make. When I tell everyone who asks for the recipe what the recipe actually is they look at me with disbelief, as if I am withholding information. I have to laugh a little each time because it happens so often.

Just For You

2009-09-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

This is for you Midgee and I will try very hard to fill it up. I love you and don't you ever forget it!