Re-commitment

Over the last few months, blogging has not been high on my list. Between our move to the Great Northwest and getting distracted with FB, (a sin I know and I beg for forgiveness) I have completely let the blog go, well I am back and I am re-inviting you posters to get back here too. It is the season for food and time to get recommitted.

With our move, cooking was put on the back burner, (another sin I know) but as I unpacked I realized all the great cookbooks I have and all the recipes in those books that I have never gotten around to trying. Like many other people, I love to read cookbooks like some read a good novel. My first love in the kitchen is baking so I decided to start there with a book my husband gave me for Christmas a few years ago, Baking At Home with The Culinary Institute of America. My goal is to try and follow the recipes without changing them, and learn new techniques. I am learning new technique, but I am having trouble with the "changing recipe" part. A friend told me not to worry about that because I was just making each recipe my own and she is right I am, so I am just going to keep trying. It seems I always have to put my two cents in which can be good and bad. So far I am happy with my two cents, but try the recipes and see what you think and maybe add your two cents. I added to my weight with the move so my next goal I think will be to try and not gain too much weight as I crack open these books, Ha, we'll see how long that lasts.

It's time to get cooking!

Mudslide Cookies

Mudslide cookies get their name because the dough is very soft, almost like cake dough, very gooey and messy. They are yum-yum-yum!

Makes 24 large cookies

Flourless cooking spray for greasing

3/4 cup flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp powder instant Postum (or coffee)*

1 Tbsp boiling water

1 tsp vanilla extract

7 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter

7 large eggs

2 3/4 cup sugar

2 cups chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Combine the Postum and boiling water to make a paste. Blend in the vanilla extract, set aside.

Melt the chopped unsweetened chocolate, chopped bittersweet chocolate, and the butter in a double boiler over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave in 15-to 20- second intervals. Gently stir to blend.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar, and Postum* paste mixture on high speed until light in texture and thick, 6-8 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture with the machine running on medium speed. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just blended. Mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips until blended. Scrape down the bowl as needed during mixing to blend evenly.

Using a 1/4-cup measure as a scoop, fill it with dough, level it, and drop the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet, leaving 3-4 inches between the cookies.

Bake the cookies until they are cracked on top but still slightly moist, rotating the pans as necessary to bake the cookies evenly, 14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire racks to cool completely.

*In the original recipe instant coffee was used, but I don't drink coffee, so I don't have it around the house. I have used instant Postum instead of coffee in the past and it worked perfect for this recipe, the hard part is that it is no longer available; I think I bought the last jar available. I found a sight that also recommended Teeccino Caffeine-free herbal coffee, which is basically the same as Postum and it is still in stores! I am going to try cocoa power and see how that works.

Lentils with Sausage

I'm making this right now, so we'll see how it ultimately turns out. I like to experiment with lentil soup and whatever I've got lying around, here's the latest.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/3 C Dry Lentil soup (I've got some leftover from when the church cannery made their own "mix". I've also found a similar mix at my local Lebanese market. Random. It's basically yellow and brown lentils, rice, a little dried onion and little tiny alphabet noodles. Random again. I bet it can be found in a regular grocery store in the international/middle eastern section.)
5 C Water
5 Cubes Chicken Bullion
1 TBS Dried Onion
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
(just under) 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
2 dashes Ground Pepper
2 dashes Season Salt
1 dried Bay Leaf
1 Turkey Kielbasa

METHOD:
Basically, mix it all (except the Kielbasa) together in a slow cooker and leave on high. After a couple of hours, chop up some Turkey Kielbasa and brown it on the stove, then toss that into the slow cooker, stir and serve. OR* serve it on top of the lentil concoction. Good Luck! This is what we'll be eating tonight for dinner.

Salmon Chowder

INGREDIENTS:
3 TBS Butter
3/4 C Chopped Onion
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 C Diced Potatoes
2-3 C Chicken Broth
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Dried Dill
1 Dried Bay Leaf
32 ounces (approx) Salmon Cubed
12 ounces Evaporated Milk
Frozen Corn (however much you like)
1 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

METHOD:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in potatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, dill and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese. Stirring constantly, cook until heated through.
Originally, this recipe called for canned creamed corn, two diced carrots, more cheese, less broth and no bay leaf. It also used 2 CANS of salmon. I feel like I changed quite a bit. I haven't made this lately, but the cold weather has it on my mind.

Buttercream Icing

I keep being asked for this recipe, so here it is for you. This is the icing recipe I use for almost all of my icing needs. My kids have great memories of leftover icing in gramcracker sandwiches. I made the cake above for my daughter, Kaira Fern's baby shower when she was pregnant with our grandson, Mack. This recipe makes about 6 cups.

1 1/2 C good quality vegetable shortening
1/2 C margarine
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract *
8 C sifted powdered sugar (2lbs)
4 Tbsp cold water**

Cream shortening and margarine. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time beating at medium speed and scraping bottom and sides often. When all the sugar is added it will look dry. Add water, 2 Tbsp at a time while still beating at medium speed and scraping after each addition until light and fluffy, add vanilla.

Store in an air tight container in the frig when not in use. This icing can be stored for 2 weeks in the frig. Remix before using again.

*for whiter icing use clear vanilla extract, found at specialty stores, also higher quality margarine are lighter in color.
** for thinner icing substitute some or all of the water for light corn syrup. Experiment a little with it till you know what you like. I like to add light corn syrup to the regular recipe to thin it down for writing on cakes.

7 Layer Cookies

I have loved this recipe since I first made it in 1975 when I was in the 8th grade (Now do the math and you can guess my age). It has always been a part of our families Christmas cookie list.

1/2 C margarine
2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 C shredded coconut
1 12 oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1 11 oz pkg butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopper nuts
1 15oz can sweeten condensed milk

Melt butter and place in a 9x13 baking pan, add graham cracker crumbs, mix and spread evenly; sprinkle over this in layers, the coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and nuts. Drizzle sweeten condensed milk over the top of all of this. Bake at 350 for 30 mins. Cut into 1 inch squares after cool.

Hot Butterscotch

At the request of my children,especially our son Kyle, who is serving on a full time proselyting mission for our church right now in the Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh mission, I am posting this recipie. This recipe was given to me by Cindy Chandler, a friend from our active duty days in the US Air Force, while we were living in Germany. It is the perfect drink for those cold days during the holiday season. It is a virgin version of Hot Butterscotch Rum. Don't think about the calories, just enjoy!

1 lb brown sugar

1 lb powder sugar

1 quart vanilla ice cream

(I always use more like, 1 1/2 quarts. Experiment to get it the way you want it)

1/2 lb butter, soften

Mix together. Put into a freezer proof container and store in freezer.

Put 2 spoonfuls in cup, fill with hot water and stir. Sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy.