The BEST Peanut Butter Cookies

These are seriously the BEST peanut butter cookies I've had. My mom's visiting teacher (Heather Ashcroft) brought these over for Christmas and she kindly gave us the recipe (after much begging).

Cream together:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

Add:

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix together, then add:

2 cups flour

1 cup instant oats

Here's where you can spice it up a bit: Add chocolate chips, M&M's, or other add-ins to give your cookies a little extra personality. Heather had M&M's in hers, but...

I just love them plain.

Bake for 8-10 minutes (closer to 8 usually) at 350*.

Pyclats (AKA: Crepes)

This is Grandma Corbridge's recipe for Pyclats (I have no idea what that means), or basically crepes. :) We made them this morning for Christmas breakfast. They were SO tasty. Be forewarned: This makes a fair amount of pyclats (well over a dozen, I'd guess).

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 c milk

2 c flour

3 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

Okay, here's where it gets a little fuzzy. I tried making this just in a bowl with a whisk and it turned out really ... lumpy. Then again, I mixed it in the order given. So... that being said, I'd probably put (or sift) or flour and baking powder together. In another bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, milk, and butter. Add the wet stuff to the dry stuff and hope for the best :)

OR... I suggest you do this. Mix all the ingredients and then throw it in the blender for about 45 seconds. Until it's really well mixed. Then it's great. =D

Take about 1/3 c of batter (or however much you want, but enough that it's thin in your pan) and put it in a pan with a little bit of butter. Medium-ish heat? I dunno. Haha, wait until it's mostly all the way cooked (until you can easily flip it), flip, and ... voila!

Fillings:

Fresh fruit: Cut strawberries, blueberries, whatever other berries :) (sprinkle a little powdered sugar to give it a little syrup)

Cream Cheese: Plain is good, or today I mixed in some vanilla and powdered sugar. It was delightful.

Yogurt

Or just plain butter and powdered sugar :)

ENJOY!!

Angel Food Cake

My mom learned how to make this scrumptious cake at a Relief Society meeting. I absolutely LOVE it. It's a bit complex (but not really! It sounds harder than it is), but it's worth the effort!

Angel Food Cake

Tips Before You Start:

• If you don't have an angel food pan, the DI usually has one for $1-1.50!
• Use two pieces of wax or parchment paper to sift flour on. It makes it easy to pour back and forth into the sifter. Save the paper and put it in the cake flour box for easy access the next time you make this yummy treat!
• Eggs separate best when cold then warm at room temperature. If in a hurry--put egg whites into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and put in a bowl of hot tap water to bring them to room temp.
• Egg whites wont beat properly if any yolk get in them... so separate the whites from the yolk one at a time, using a separate bowl, just in case!

Ready, Set... BAKE!

• 1 cup plus 2 TBSP of cake flour (sift before measuring)
• After sifting and measuring, add 1/2 cup of sugar and sift an additional 5 times
• Using a mixer (make sure the bowl is GREASE FREE!), beat 1 & 2/3rd cup of room temperature egg whites until foamy (about 10 eggs, give or take)
• Add 1&1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar and 1/2 tsp of salt
• Continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fine grained, and form peaks
• Fold 1 cup of sugar, a little at a time
• Fold in 1 tsp of Vanilla (or for you peeps that like nasty almond flavor, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of almond flavoring)
• Add flour mixture by hand in fourths with a sifter. Use about 15 folding strokes after each addition. After the last addition, fold another 10 strokes.
• Pour into and un-greased, dry 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to release large air bubbles.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes.
• To test cake for doneness, touch the cracks. They should feel dry and no imprint should remain. Invert pan on a pop bottle and allow cake to cool completely before removing from pan.
• Top with sliced, fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream! If you want your strawberries to be a little syrupy, place sliced strawberries in a bowl with some sugar while the cake bakes. The juices will mix with the sugar to make a simple syrup.

Sweetie Pies

I signed up for this cute "Tip of the Day" thing on Facebook, and today they have this nifty link to homemade Sweetie Pies, which was borrowed from here. I think this looks so

cute and I'm excited to try it!

Homemade Sweetie Pies

These little hand pies can be made with your favorite Apple Pie recipe or simply with some store bought pie crust and applie pie filling. (Also try Cranberry-Ribbon Apple Pie). Cooking times will be less with smaller pies.

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a backing sheet with a Silpat (nonstick baking mat).

2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 5-inch cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheet.

3. Place about 2 TBSP of apple pie filling onto one-half of each round. Fold dough over to close. Brush the tops of each pie with egg whites. Using a fork, press edges together to seal shut. Sprinkle tops of pie with sanding sugar.

4. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before placing in boxes. These can be stored in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Boxes are here :)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Pasta and Nutmeg Green Beans, Plus Phazookies :)

This awesome dinner came from my dear friend, Stephanie Bolan. She is a master of throwing things together and making tasty treats! I wish SHE'D start a food blog, since... I can't really cook and she can. :) This is one of my favorites that she kindly shared with me. I'm going to include her commentary because... well, I like it. :)

Parmesan Crusted Chickenmix 2 eggs and 1/3 cup milk in a bowl
for crust:
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 T Italian seasoning
2 - 3 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tsp paprika

Chicken breast cut into strips, roll in the egg and milk mixture. Roll in the crust place evenly spaced on a greased cookie sheet in the oven at 375 for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.

Lemon Pasta:

- one bunch scallions (green onions), 3 lemons, 4 gloves garlic, (powdered words as well) 1 package angel hair pasta (spaghetti works too), salt and pepper
Boil and rinse pasta
In 2T olive oil sautee the sliced scallions and minced garlic, and 2T lemon zest. Add 1 Cup fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Add the angel hair pasta and mix with the lemon juice mixture. If it doesn't taste lemony enough add more juice. You can also add parsley flakes so it looks pretty.

Nutmeg beans:

1 package fresh green beans
garlic, nutmeg, salt pepper, butter

Sautee the beans in butter, season with salt and pepper. Add lots of powdered garlic and nutmeg (more than you think) season to taste. You will probably have to add a little bit more butter as these cook. These will take a while to cook, so make the lemon pasta after these have been cooking for a while.

The dessert I like best and is always a good fall back is the phazookie. They are fun and easy and you get to eat them with your date. So just make cookie dough, bake at 400 for like 4 - 8 minutes (don't bake them too long or they will be crunchy and thats not what you are going for with the phazookie :) )then put icecream and toppings on it. If you want a different recipe I can send you one, but you will never go wrong with warm gooey cookie dough...men will love you.

Wine Substitutes

I've found that there are some ingredients that I don't use, like cooking wine, and I wanted to find some substitutions. I hit up BING to find out if there were any substitutions out there and this is what I found:

White Wine

There are several alternatives to white wine as an ingredient. Use the same amount of the substitute as the amount of white wine called for by the recipe. White wine cooking substitutes include plain water, undiluted chicken or vegetable broth, white grape juice and ginger ale.

Sweet White Wine

When the recipe asks for sweet white wine, substitute white grape juice in the same amount. Pour the white grape juice in a small glass bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of clear corn syrup. Stir thoroughly until the corn syrup is completely dissolved.

Grappa

Use an equivalent amount of white or red grape juice in place of grappa.

Gewurztraminer

When a recipe requires Gewurztraminer, combine white grape juice and lemon juice in equal parts to make the total amount of liquid called for. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of Gewurztraminer, combine 1/2 cup of white grape juice with 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Place both ingredients in a small glass bowl and mix well.

Red Wine

Red wine is popular in cooking recipes. If the recipe is beef, use undiluted beef broth, red grape juice, or cranberry juice instead of red wine. If the recipe is poultry, try undiluted chicken or vegetable broth. For fish recipes, add clam juice, cranberry juice or vegetable broth. In all cases, use the same amount of the substitute as red wine.

Port Wine

Replace port wine with an equal amount of its substitute. For recipes that call for a light port, use unsweetened apple or orange juice. If the recipe asks for a heavier port, mix red grape juice with the juice from one small lime or cranberry juice with the juice from one small lemon as a substitute. You can also use thawed grape juice concentrate as a substitute for the heavier ports.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5394733_substitutes-wine-cooking.html

Chicken Parmesan

Here's another kifed recipe, from The Sisters' Cafe, a new blog on my list. I'm super excited to try it!

Chicken Parmesan

Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tb olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (approx 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 cans Italian diced tomatoes

1 Tb sugar

1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender and transparent. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Chicken ingredients:

1-2 pounds chicken breasts

2 eggs

Italian breadcrumbs

1/4-1/2 c olive oil

8 oz very thinly sliced mozzarella

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Dip the chicken in egg and then in bread crumbs. Heat oil and cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. Put chicken on the bottom of a large baking dish (9x13). Put one thin slice of mozzarella and sprinkle parmesan on each breast and half of sauce on top. Repeat. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Lowfat version: skip breading and frying of the chicken. Place the chicken raw in the dish and do one layer of the cheeses. I don't even measure, I just sprinkle on grated mozzarella and parmesan then top with sauce. Bake a little longer - more like 40 minutes. It is fabulous!

Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce

This looks SUPER tasty. I kifed this from a new website I found, off to the side on my website list, Simply Recipes.

Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 center-cut rib or loin pork chops, boneless or bone-in (whatever you prefer), about 1 1/4 inch thick
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots or green onions
• 1 cup dry white wine (I read you can use ginger ale or like, sparkling white grape juice instead. I'll put the info up about substitutions.)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock*
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional)

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade chicken stock or gluten-free packaged stock.

METHOD

1 Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over them. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the butter. As soon as the butter has melted, add the pork chops to the pan and sear them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat slightly if the chops brown too quickly.

2 Remove the pork chops from the pan and pour off most of the fat. Add the green onions or shallots and cook them on med high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock and return chops to the pan. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until chops are cooked through (145°F internal temp), about 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Remove the pork chops to a warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining half cup of wine. Increase the heat to high to boil the pan juices. Reduce the juices by half, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and boil 3 minutes more, until sauce reduces and thickens, and scraping the pan with a wooden spoon leaves a trail. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard and parsley. If you want, add more mustard to taste. Place chops on a bed of sauce and serve.

Serves 4.