Rule #1: No talking while baking...

Rule #2: Read the directions more than once! Rule #3: If you follow Rule #1, you won't need the rest of them.

While baking for my WC Nest Recipe Exchange, I messed up royally. Jason and I are vising his parents for Christmas and, as usual, I waited until the last minute to complete my recipe exchange. So, this morning, in the middle of visiting with my mother -in-law, I mixed up the Mud Bars for my exchange. Fortunately, I have this really bad habit of licking the spoon (don't worry, I put it right in the sink...not back in the batter!!) and noticed that it was a little...bitter! "Something is not right." You think? I then turned around to see the bag of brown sugar and canister of granulated sugar on the counter. ((light bulb goes off)) "Well, I forgot the sugar and the eggs." I quickly proceeded to dump the mix back into the bowl, add the sugar and the eggs, and voila! I have Mud Bars. In the end, you don't have to follow the rules, but it sure would have helped!!

Mud Bars

• 1 cup oatmeal (not instant)
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 2-4 T baking cocoa (to taste)
• 1 (12 oz) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over oats and margarine. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in sugars and eggs.

Combine dry ingredients and add to oats mixture. Stir in half the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9*13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining chips and nuts. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!!

I love baking. Really. I don't get that there are people who don't like to bake. So that makes this my favorite time of year. I go on my baking extravaganza. Jason actually cut me a little short this year...I wanted to add a few more types of cookies, but with our holiday travels, that just wasn't possible. Plus, he said he can't eat all of them!

The first type turned out really well! I had three kinds of leftover chocolate chips from a few Cookies In A Jar mixes I made, so I just used all three. Plus, I baked them on my Pampered Chef stone - why would anyone buy anything else? I freaking love that thing!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugars, beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375.

The next cookie is my absolute favorite. I love baking these and they are so easy. I've always called them Swedish Teacakes, but they are also called Russian Teacakes and (I think) Italian Wedding Cookies.

Swedish Teacakes

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend in flour, salt and nuts. Shape into 1" balls and bake on an ungreased pan for 15-20 minutes. Cool to the touch, roll in powdered sugar (I usually add red and green sprinkles during the holiday season). Cool completely and roll in powdered sugar again.

My Favorite Soup

I love this soup. I don't know that it's quite a "soup" but more of an "upgraded chili"...but I am not Rachel Ray, so I won't change the name. It's called a soup...so I will leave it a soup. Not a "stoup" or a "choup" or what ever the heck she tries to say.

Either way, this is perfect for a large crowd (the recipe feeds 6-8) and can be multiplied easily.

Taco Soup

• 2 lbs ground meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz) can Ranch Style Beans
• 1 (14 oz) can Pinto Beans with Jalapenos
• 1 (14 oz) can Whole Kernel Corn
• 1 pkg Taco Seasoning
• 1 pkg Ranch Dressing mix

Brown ground meat with onions and peppers. Add the rest of the ingredients (do not drain the cans) and bring to a boil. Simmer for up to an hour. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Just a note...I either use all ground beef or a beef/turkey combo. All ground turkey doesn't have the same flavor, probably because there is not enough fat in the meat!! What we all need, right?

Coffee's Perfect Mate

Yes - I'm a sucker for some flavored cream in my coffee. But I'm not talking about Coffeemate. I'm talking about biscotti. I love it with my coffee, especially if it's really crunchy.

This also marks the beginning of my holiday baking. Honestly, the season sort of got away from me and I'm going to have to cut back this year, but I was not cutting this out!

Holiday Biscotti (courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup dried cranberries

12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped

Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

((I skipped this part this year. Last year Jason said the white chocolate just does not go well with coffee.)) Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Cake!!

My cousin graduated this weekend with his Masters in Education and, me being the idiot I am, said I would bake and decorate a cake for his party. Yes, I'm crazy because decorating cakes that will be seen by the public (i.e. other than Jason and I) causes lots of yelling, foul language and tears. I'm a perfectionist and Jason is more of the...wing it type.

I just used a basic cake recipe for this and the Wilton Buttercream Frosting.

By the way, his name is Nick...but the nurses nicknamed him "Bear" at birth because he was a big baby! The name stuck...and he's still a big guy.

Cheesecake!

Of all the things I love to eat...cheesecake is probably my favorite! My in-laws visited before Thanksgiving, so I decided to make a dessert for dinner. I also baked an entire turkey and a lot of sides...and failed to take pictures of any of it! Oh, well.

This is a perfect fall dessert - Pecan Pie Cheesecake! It combines two of the best desserts...pecan pie and cheesecake. And, it's actually pretty easy to make.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake (courtesy of Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 1 (2lb, 4oz) frozen Pecan Pie
• 2 cups graham crackers crumbs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325°. Thaw pecan pie according to package directions. Cut evenly into 20 thin slices, keeping wedges intact, and set aside.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs and next 3 ingredients; press mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 10-inch springform pan.

Arrange 10 pecan pie wedges in a spoke design in prepared pan, placing 1 cut side of each wedge on crust with narrow end towards center of pan. Reserve remaining pecan pie wedges for another use.

Beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, half-and-half, and vanilla; beat until blended. Fold in powdered sugar and flour. Carefully pour cream cheese mixture evenly over pecan pie wedges in pan, making sure wedges remain in place. Arrange pecan halves evenly around edge and center.

Bake at 325° for 50 minutes. Turn off oven, and let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.

Deviled Eggs

Ok, I hate eggs. Really...I will only eat them if they are baked into a cake or cookies! However, the department manager where Jason works swears I make the best Deviled Eggs. I'm not sure how that is possible, considering I have never eaten one in my entire life...but who am I to argue?!? They frequently do pot-lucks for holidays or showers and we always have to bring the Eggs. Trust me, I've asked for something else because I think they smell and they are a little bit of a pain to make...but the rumor is that anyone else who has tried just "messes them up." Hmm...

Deviled Eggs

• 12 eggs, hard boiled, and peeled
• about 3-4 to 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• about 1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
• about 1/4 cup Dill Pickle Relish
• salt and pepper to taste

Half the eggs and remove the yolk. Add ingredients and mash with a fork. The measurements may be a little off...so just adjust to taste! Refill the egg white halves with the yolk mixture. Garnish with a little paprika and parsley.

Breakfast Baking

I've been dying to bake for a while now, but have opted not to because I really don't need to eat it! However, this weekend the in-laws will be in and I like to have a breakfast-type thing around for us to eat instead of resorting to cereal!

This recipe came from my great-aunt. My mom and I made it a few times, but the problem is that you can't really just eat a little of it. Well, we can't. I would eat anything with almond extract in it, so I have a hard time limiting myself when it comes to this recipe!

Almond Danish Puff

Preheat oven to 350. Cut 1/2 cup butter (softened) into 1 cup flour. Sprinkle in 2 T water and mix. Round into a ball and divide in half. On a baking sheet, put each 1/2 in strips of about 12*3" each. Heat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and quickly add 1 cup water and 1 t almond extract. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and beat in 3 eggs, until smooth and glossy. Divide in 1/2 and spread over other dough strips. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the top is crisp and brown. Cool and frost with glaze of 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 T butter, 1 1/2 t almond extract and 1-2 T water (as needed).

I honestly did not intend on baking anything else, but...I left a stick of butter on the stove to soften and instead ended up with very melted butter! After digging around for something that called for only 1 stick of butter and other stuff that I actually had, I found the following recipe

Pecan Pie Muffins (Southern Living)

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix butter, eggs and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans and bake 8-10 min. Makes either 1 dozen regular muffins or 2 dozen mini-muffins.

I've become my mother

Growing up, my mom decorated cakes. It wasn't a business...just a hobby and a way to raise extra money. She did them for all of our birthdays and did the same for most of our friends and family. My sister and I always helped, but never really took classes.
My first attempt was last year - a coworker found out she was having a baby and asked me to do her shower cake. I don't have pics for a good reason. I thought it was a disaster! Everyone else thought it looked ok, but had my mom not been there to bail me out...I think a trip to Kroger would have been in order!! After that, I decided lessons were a must.

My first Wilton class involved three cakes. Not good for the waistline...well not mine, but Jason sure liked it! All of my cakes for class have been boxes. There are just too many chances to take with a cake from scratch, plus since I was making almost one each week...I needed something easy!
The first cake was pretty simple - frost and decorate with the "star" tip. The baby (said reason for the cake classes) had his first frosting taste! The first few licks were not so great, but once he figured out that a sugar rush would accompany frosting...he was all in!

My second cake - clowns!

I don't have pics of the third cake (final one in the the first course) for two reasons. One, it was roses and I am really bad at making roses. Seriously. Two, they are on a friends camera and she has not sent them to me. :-)

The second course was all about Royal Icing and flowers. Lots and lots of flowers! We made flowers for three weeks...then put the cake together. I could have grown a garden!

Cooler weather means...Soups!

I just told my husband last week that I am so happy for the cooler weather...because we can have soups for dinner! Soups are ideal because I can cook them once...and they last almost the whole week. So yesterday, I went for the difficult one...Chicken Tortilla Soup. Not difficult because of the time involved or ingredients...but difficult because I'm not a huge fan of bone-in chicken, and I really don't like raw chicken. However, to make this taste correctly, it really needs a whole bone-in chicken. Blech.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 whole fryer
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 jalapeno pepper (your choice, depending on the heat level you are looking for)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilis
2 cans 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
1 t Chili Powder
1 t Ground Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese

Cook your fryer with the onions, garlic and jalapenos in boiling water, salt & pepper to taste. You can do this however you prefer - either the whole chicken or you can cut the chicken before you cook it. I can't stand to cut up the chicken, so I just boil the whole thing, let it cool, then remove it from the broth. Drain about 1/3 of the broth and any skin. All all canned ingredients and seasoning to the broth, bring to a boil and stir. Add shredded chicken back to mixture and simmer. Serve with fresh cilantro, chips & cheese. (about 4.5 WW points for 6 servings)

Finally created a blog...

So, I finally caved to the "blog" scene. I guess I'm branching out. First myspace...not blogger. I'm not usually an IT fan, because it's out of my element, but...why not. Plus, I'm hoping the addition of a blog will prompt me to cook a wider variety of things, and not just the same old stuff week after week. So, that's my challenge.