12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 11 - Sparkling Coffee Snowflakes

Our family subscribes to Cook's Country magazine. If you have never picked up an issue of Cook's Country, I recommend you do so. The magazine is filled with great recipes and the nice thing is that they explain why the prepare the recipe the way they do and the best methods and equipment.

This recipe was in Cook's Country as a finalist in their Christmas Cookie Contest. I knew I had to try it and I am so glad I did...these cookies are amazing! In fact, my dad thinks they should be the only Christmas cookies we make from now on....I will note that NO...the recipe does NOT contain eggs. I didn't forget an ingredient. They are eggless cookies, which means you can eat the cookie dough without feeling guilty! :)

Sparkling Coffee Snowflakes

Sparkling Coffee Snowflakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup semisweet-chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (such as Sugar-In-The-Raw)

1. Make Dough. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and espresso powder until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

2. Roll & Cut. Heat oven to 300-degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On lightly floured surface, roll each chilled dough disk into 11-inch round (you may need to let it soften for a minute or three), about 1/4-inch thick. Using 2-inch star or snowflake cookie cutter, cut out cookies, gathering and re-rolling dough as necessary.

3. Bake Cookies. Place cookies 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets and bake until set, 18-22 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. Decorate Cookies. Drizzle cokies with melted semisweet and white chocolates and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Let sit until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.**

**I found that the chocolate on my first batch did not set up. So I added 1 tsp. Crisco to the second batch AND popped them in the refrigerator for a few minutes. It seemed to set up nicer.

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 10 - Oreo Cheesecake

About a week ago I went to a mystery dinner at a friend's house. It was a potluck and I was assigned to bring a dessert. Since I knew the event was to be a little bit "nicer" than your average potluck, I wanted to make something super special. I decided it would be fun to tackle a cheesecake. Now, mind you, I had never before made a cheesecake. I had no idea what was involved, but I knew it couldn't be too hard. So I set out to find a recipe. I started my search at www.copykat.com, which is a website with copycat recipes for restaurant foods. I found a recipe for the Cheesecake Factory's Oreo Cheesecake, and I must say this cheesecake is a winner!!!

Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheescake


Crust:
1-1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (about 20-23 cookies, finely chopped)
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Filling:
1-1/2 lb. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup flour
8 oz. sour cream
5 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped, for the batter
10 coarsely chopped Oreo cookies for the top of the cheesecake

You Will Also Need:
9" Springform pan, buttered on bottoms and sides

Directions:


**CRUST**
Mix melted butter with Oreo crumbs and press into springform pan, covering the bottom and 1-1/2" up the sides (Note: I did not have enough crust to go up the sides). Set aside.

**FILLING**
All ingredients need to be at room temperature before beginning. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Keep mixer on a low setting during the mixing and beating process. Add sugar gradually and continue beating cream cheese until mixed through. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat until blended. Measure the vanilla, salt, and flour, pour into cream cheese and egg mixture and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat well. Turn off the mixer and stir in the coarsely chopped Oreo cookies with a spoon.

Pour cream cheese into the springform pan and place the remaining coarsely chopped Oreo cookies on top of the cream mixture. Place pan on the top rack and in the middle of a preheated oven at 325-degrees, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When the time is up, prop the oven door open and let the cheesecake stay in the oven for one hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool enough to place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It is worth the anticipation. A cheesecake should season. The flavor ripens and becomes enriched.

Original Recipe
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Yum, yum, yum! Everyone who tried this cheesecake at the party thought it was delicious. I am hooked on making cheesecakes and am even planning to make a different flavor/recipe for tomorrow night's dessert as my aunt and uncle will be joining us for dinner. Stay tuned to hear how that one turns out! :)

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 9 - Orange Glazed Chicken

Orange Glazed Chicken

From Everybody Cooks magazine, put out by Dierbergs Grocery Stores in St. Louis

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided

4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used a mixture of vegetable/olive oil)

1 package (16 oz) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I would use less next time because I do not like spicy foods)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Rice

1. In medium bowl, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce; let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Heat wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and chicken; stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add vegetables, stir-fry for 1 minute.

4. In medium bowl, dissolve remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch in orange juice. Stir in orange peel, broth, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir into chicken mixture.

5. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring frequently until thickened.

6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Serves 4 (although I served 3 and we have lots of leftovers).

Yum, yum, yum! If you try this, let me know how you like it! We loved it and will be making it again!

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 8 - Butternut Squash Soup

My mom attended a cooking class at a local kitchen supply store recently, and the class was all about soups. She brought home the recipe and I was immediately attracted to the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup. See, I don't really care for squash (I know it's good for me. . .I just don't like the texture/flavor that much) but a couple years ago I tried a Butternut Squash Soup that was absolutely to die for. The person who made it was unable to give me the recipe, so when I saw this recipe I knew we had to try it to see if I liked it, also.

See the end for my comments. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Butternut Squash Soup


2 Tbl. Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
2 stalks Celery, chopped
2 Russet Potatoes, chopped
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, cored and chopped
1 quart Chicken Stock
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
Fresh Sage (to taste) (I used dried, as we did not have any fresh sage on hand)
Salt (to taste)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream or Sour Cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large stock pot.

2. Add chopped vegetables (including potatoes and squash) and cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat, until slightly browned (I cooked them for about 8 minutes).

3. Add stock and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.

4. Using a stick blender, blend the soup until smooth.
5. Finish with fresh sage, brown sugar, salt and cream.

6. Enjoy (I also topped each bowl with additional sour cream and sage)!

My Thoughts:
- Super easy to make! The most time consuming part is chopping the veggies. And waiting for it to cook, of course. :)
- Our whole family enjoyed this soup. I think that means the recipe is a "keeper." Let me know how your family likes it, if you try it!

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For previous 12 in 12 recipes, check out the following:

1. Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
2. Chewy Toffee Bits Cookies
3. Deviled Chicken
4. Cinnamon Rolls
5. Strawberry Trifle
6. Easy Chicken Alfredo
7. Pumpkin Spice Muffins

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 7 - Pumpkin Spice Muffins

We had some extra pumpkin in the fridge left over from when I made pumpkin bread the other day. I wanted to make something different, something yummy, and something fun. I met all of those criteria with these Pumpkin Spice Muffins.

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin spice (I made my own with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and 1/8 tsp. cloves)
1-1/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Put oven rack in center position and preheat oven to 350-F. Put liners in muffin cups (we were out of muffin liners, so I greased the muffin pan)
2. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
3. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1-1/4 cups sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture just until combined.
4. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar in another bowl.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be 3/4 full) - I used 1/4 cup of batter in each muffin cup
6. Sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
7. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean - 25-30 minutes.
8. Cool in pan on a rack for about 5 minutes and then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool.

My Evaluation:
These are awesome. So yummy, so fall-ish. I would definitely make these again. :)

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 6 - Easy Chicken Alfredo

I made the most delicious Chicken Alfredo the other night and want to share the recipe with all of you for my 12 in 12 Challenge. This is an easy chicken alfredo that does not require cream, but rather uses evaporated milk and butter, thus making it a tad bit healthier for you. Anyway, if you try it, let me know what you think!

Easy Chicken Alfredo

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 tablespoons powdered milk

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used the powdered stuff for convenience)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. dried thyme (rubbed between your fingers to release the flavor)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup thinly sliced grilled chicken (optional, but so good)

Pasta

Directions:

1. Shake together powdered and evaporated milks; set aside.

2. Melt butter in medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; cook until bubbly.

3. Gradually whisk evaporated milk into the roux. Cook sauce over medium heat, stirring, until bubbly.

4. Reduce heat. Add parmesan cheese, garlic and thyme. Stir until melted.

5. Thin sauce to desired consistency by stirring in up to 1/2 cup milk (I admit I used a tad bit more. . .my sauce was thicker than I wanted). 

6. Add chicken pieces. Heat through and serve over hot pasta. I garnished with more dried thyme and some paprika for color. :) Bon Apetit!

 

My Thoughts:

This is delicious. I would totally make it again. I had plenty of leftovers and I can say that if you re-heat it and eat it leftover it is just as good. Try it. You'll love it.

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 5 - Strawberry Trifle

The final recipe, for the moment, is the dessert my mom and I put together for Mother's Day (yes, she made her own Mother's Day dessert - we worked on it together since we had never made one of these before).
This recipe is from my cousin, who got it from her aunt. :)

Strawberry Trifle


1-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 large cool whip (12 oz.)
Red food coloring
1 Angel food cake (we used 2 loafs of cake)
Sliced strawberries

Mix cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add cool whip and mix well. Add a few drops of red food coloring and mix well.

Layer in large trifle bowl (we got 3 layers):

Angel food cake (cut into 1-inch cubes)
Cream cheese mixture
Sliced strawberries

Top with cool whip (we left some out) and sliced or whole strawberries.

Want to see how pretty it can be?

We begin with little mini ones we made in plastic shot glasses just to try it out. Mini desserts in shot glasses seems to be a current trend, so we wanted to see what it was like to make them ourselves.

The top of the beautiful Strawberry Trifle.

And a side view. Our only regret is that there is too much for the four of us, so we wish we had help eating it!

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 4 - Cinnamon Rolls

Yet another recipe! See, I told you I had a bunch to post!

For Easter our church had a breakfast in the morning before the service. My mom and I made cinnamon rolls for the breakfast. They turned out really well. This is my great grandmother's recipe and we made some with cinnamon sugar and some that were a butter crumb. The butter crumb were my personal favorite, but they were all delicious! I'm leaving this recipe as original as possible, so feel free to make changes - such as use butter instead of oleo. :-) My notes are in italics.

Great Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls
An Old Family Recipe


1 cup milk, lukewarm
1/2 cup sugar, dissolved in the milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oleo or shortening, softened (or butter)
2 eggs, room temperature
Flour to make soft dough (a note on the recipe says that it takes about 3-5 cups plus more when working with the dough)
1/4 cup warm milk
2 packages yeast

Put eggs out the night before baking so they'll be room temperature (or just take them out that day). In a bowl, put yeast in water to dissolve. Add other ingredients and enough flour to make a soft dough - kneed well (about 10 minutes) and put in a greased bowl to rise double. I put mine in a warm oven and cover with plastic or plate about 1 hour or as needed (however you normally rise your bread dough should work fine). Divide and roll out for rolls. Bake about 25 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

This recipe makes 3 pans of rolls.

Butter Crumb Filling


1/2 cup oleo (butter)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour

Mix sugar and flour and cut in oleo/butter until crumbly. Spread dough with crumbs, roll and cut. Put slices in buttered pan and sprinkle crumbs on top. Let rise and then bake.

Cinnamon Topping

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons oleo (butter)

Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. Melt oleo (butter) and add to sugar mixture. Mix well so it will sprinkle. Spread dough with crumbs, roll and cut. Put slices in buttered pan and sprinkle crumbs on top. Let rise and then bake.

Hungry yet? Check out the pictures (unfortunately I don't think I took any pictures once they baked)!

A pan of buttercrumb rolls, almost ready for the oven.

A delicious cinnamon roll (not baked).

Spreading the buttercrumb filling. 

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 3 - Deviled Chicken

I have actually made this recipe twice and the first time forgot to take picture so couldn't count it, and the second time did take pictures, but then it took awhile for me to get them put onto my computer. . .but now the pictures are on my computer and I can share the recipe with you.

I did make some changes to this recipe because we (okay, I) don't like food super-spicy. So my changes are noted.

Deviled Chicken
From Cook's Country, March 2010


3 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-1/2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (I used less, dried)
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used about 10-15 turns of the pepper grinder)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used less chicken but made the full sauce)
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Marinate Chicken. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450-degrees. Combine mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in large bowl. Add chicken and toss until coated. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

2. Coat and Bake. Pulse bread, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until coarsely ground. Remove chicken from bowl and transfer to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs evenly over top and sides of chicken, pressing gently to adhere. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 20-25 minutes. Serve.

My Notes:

This chicken is awesome. There's a reason I've made it twice so far. I do line the pan with foil so that any stuff that drips off is easy to clean up, and any breading that drips off is worth eating. . .it's SO good. I did prick holes in the chicken with a fork the last time I made it, so that the marinade could soak in. I would love to try letting it sit for 3 hours like it says, but I only let it go for about 30 minutes and it is just fine. SO tasty. I served it with some mashed potatoes (which I added cheddar cheese, cream cheese and onion to and re-heated in the microwave) and some lima beans that we mixed with bacon, which were excellent. Bon Appetite!

12 in 12 Challenge: Recipe 2 - Chewy Toffee Bits Cookies

Never fear, dear readers. . .I am back with another installment in the 12 in 12 Challenge. :)

This time it is Chewy Toffee Bits Cookies. And boy are they good! My mom and I made these as a joint effort the other night because we both wanted to make cookies, but it counts for this challenge. :)

Here's the recipe, and I'll follow up with my comments at the end.

Chewy Toffee Bits Cookies
Recipe from The Columbus Dispatch

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 cup toffee bits (we used 1-1/2 cup of Heath Bar baking bits)

Directions:
1. Sift together dry ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended.
4. Mix in toffee bits.
5. Drop by teaspoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.

My thoughts:

These are delicious cookies! I love toffee, so putting them in cookies makes perfect sense in my brain. The flavor is delicious and the chewiness of the cookie is perfect, too. We used our cookie scoop, which isn't terribly big, but we decided the cookies would be a bit bigger than we wanted so we cut each scooped cookie in half. They came out the perfect size.

I would recommend this recipe if you like cookies and toffee bits, because the combination is splendid. :)

12 in 12 Challenge: January - Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I am not making a lot of resolutions this year. I find that I rarely keep them even when I do, so it is not worth it. However, one thing I would like to do this year is to make one new recipe each month. Now, I do know how to cook - and I enjoy doing it! But the purpose of this challenge/resolution would be to make 12 different NEW recipes! This would give me more experience cooking and more of a repertoire. . .plus it is always fun to cook new recipes! And then, of course, I can share them with all of you, along with my comments and, of course, pictures.

So, to start things off, here is January's contribution to my 12 in 12 Challenge:

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
From Cook's Illustrated

Lemon Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated zest from one lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds


Cake:
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup + 7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1-2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Instructions:
1. For the Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350-degrees. Stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds. Set aside.

2. For the Cake: Spray 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. In stand mixer fitted with padle attachment, beat butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds, and scraping down beater and sides of bowl as necessary. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add one-third flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing until incorporated after each addition, 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat, using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining sour cream. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

3. Reserve 1-1/4 cups batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, remaining 5 tablespoons of sugar, lemon juice and remaining teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about  minute. Add 1/4 cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. Spoon cheese filling mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. Spread remaining cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. With butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful not to drag filling to bottom or edges of pan [easier said than done!]  Firmly tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any bubbles. Sprinkle lemon sugar-almond topping evenly over batter and gently press into batter to adhere.

4. Bake until top is golden and just firm, and long skewer inserted into cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted into cheese filling), 45-50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Gently invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be topping-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake and invert cake sugar-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 1-1/2 hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Makes 1 10-inch cake, serving 12-16. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. For optimal texture, allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.

My Comments: 

I thought this coffee cake was delicious. The lemon flavor was perfect - not overpowering, but not so faint it was unnoticeable, either. The cream cheese filling was also excellent. I had some trouble keeping the filling 1" from the edge of the pan, but it turned out delicious anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about that next time.

You can see from the picture that it makes a pretty presentation even when cut. We put half of it in the freezer for another day, and the rest is in the refrigerator ready for us to eat some more.

It was delicious and I recommend it.