Butter Pecan Cookies

I was wanted to make some cookies today.  I had seen a recipe on the King Arthur website that looked really yummy but the dough had to sit overnight.  I wanted a cookie today!!  I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/butter_pecan_cookies/

I got a few more cookies than she did.  They taste great but are a bit crumbly.  Next time I will sift my flour and see if it makes a difference.  I also rolled the cookie balls into Sugar in the Raw and flattened them a bit with a glass.

Butter Pecan Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2 With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3 Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet.
4 Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.

5 Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Banana Cake

Here's a good snack cake recipe using a cake mix:

1 box yellow cake mix follow the directions in making the cake except use 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp nutmeg - I used fresh grated

Bake in a 9x13 greased pan at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until stick comes out clean.

St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day.  I made corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I also made an Irish Soda Bread from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Cookbook.

It came out really well.  It was delicious and wonderful.  Sophia ate 3 slices right away! Frank even had one.

Today I have some leftovers from last night so I will be making this Corned Beef Hash recipe.. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/corned_beef_hash/

Check  it out!

Pumpkin Pie

You can have Pumpkin Pie anytime, not just Thanksgiving. Last week I read Kate Jacobs Knit The Season and Dakota was making Thanksgiving meal for everyone.  It was chilly that day so I made a pumpkin pie.

Here's my recipe:
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 3/4 c pumpkin or 1 small can of pumpkin (14 or 15 oz)
3/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
12 oz can evaporated milk (or you can use any kind of milk you have)
1 9 inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Combine filling ingredients in order given in large bowl. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
Reduce oven to 350F.  Bake 45 minutes or until a knife placed in the center comes out clean.
Cool and enjoy with whipped cream!!

Chicken Gumbo Soup

Chicken Gumbo Soup

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 bell peppers, sliced – green, red, yellow or orange
1 medium onion, sliced OR ½ bag of frozen peppers and onions (sometimes called stir-fry mix)
1 tsp olive oil
1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes OR a can of Ro-tel OR diced toms
1 10 oz box frozen okra, sliced
28 -32 oz of chicken broth or water
½ cup rice
Salt and pepper to taste
5-10 drops of Tabasco (optional)

Saute the peppers and onions in the oil in a large pot until soft. Add okra, tomatoes and broth. Simmer until okra is thawed. Add chicken, rice and seasonings. Ready to serve when rice is thoroughly cooked.

New Cookbooks at the Library

I got these from the library.  The Jamie book is probably good for someone that is not American.  They were the usual "American" recipes.  Nothing really outstanding.
This Nigella book I didn't care for.  I made a couple of the recipes but the food had no taste.  A real disappointment.  I am glad I didn't pay for these books.