Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

Amanda made these the other night and they are ridiculously good! She put a few chocolate chips in them which makes them even better. :)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture in two parts and pumpkin puree in one, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto two baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets once during baking. Immediately transfer cookies to wire racks, and cool completely.

When cookies have cooled, set them (still on rack) over a baking sheet or waxed paper. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted. Pour chocolate into a resealable plastic bag. Snip off a corner with scissors or a knife to make an 1/8-inch hole; pipe chocolate over cookies. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes.

Menu 10/25-31

Sun - Red Robin :)
Mon - Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans
Tues - Turkey soup
Wed - Biscuits and gravy
Thurs - Black bean soup
Fri - Turkey pot pie
Sat - Jack o lantern pizza

Browned Butter Sauce

More Rachael Ray saves the day!

6 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh sage (I used a pinch of dried)
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 grated parmeggiano reggiano cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese (variation)

In a small saucepan melt 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt over medium-low heat. Add 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage and cook, stirring often, until the butter begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons heavy cream and remove from the heat. Add 1/2 cup grated parmeggiano reggiano cheese when tossing with pasta.

Variation 1: Stir in one cup ricotta with the cream; season with 2 teaspoons pepper.

Our Menu

Mon - Out to Red Lobster ;-)

Tue - Potato Soup

Wed - Southwestern Chicken Soup with Corn Bread

Thur - Hamburger Pie

Fri - Grilled Turkey Legs

Sat - Fish

Sun - Marinaded Grilled Chicken Breast

An attempt of copycat OG Chicken Scampi

1-1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast pounded
2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 teaspoon of basil
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
cloves of garlic (depends on how much you like garlic, at least 2)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 box of angel hair pasta

Brown chicken any way you would like to do it: grill, boil, crockpot, etc. Cool and slice into strips.
Start your pasta.
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a pan and 1 clove of garlic grated or pressed. Cook until your nostrils are filled with the aroma of garlic and then add the olive oil, parsley, basil, oregano, a bit of salt and pepper and chicken. Cook chicken until done.
Remove chicken.
Add the rest of the butter. Yes, all 1 and 1/2 sticks, just don't think about it. And, the rest of the garlic (grated or pressed) and lemon juice. Cook garlic in the butter for a couple of minutes.
Drain pasta.
Now, you can either put the chicken back into the sauce and then mix it all with the pasta, or put the chicken on the pasta and then drizzle some of the garlic butter sauce over the top and taste before you add more sauce.

This Week's Menu

Sun - Cream of broccoli soup
Mon - Lynne's bacon potato soup
Tues - Orange chicken and rice
Wed - Pumpkin pancakes and bacon
Thurs - Spaghetti alla ceci
Fri - Homemade pizza
Sat - White bean chili (new recipe I'm trying)

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Tasty, tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 onion, chopped (I use about a quarter of one)
  
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 8 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender.
2. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree soup and return to heat. (I like it chunky so I just coarsely mash it with a potato masher.)
3. In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in flour and add milk. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. Season with pepper and serve.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I know a couple of other people have posted similar recipes, but this one is really yummy too! I was looking for one that didn't require chicken broth, and found this! It's best with a yellow/gold potato, and it definitely needed salt....but GREAT flavor! I've also served it in homemade bread bowls.

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
4 cups water
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I use yukon golds)
15 slices American cheese - broken into pieces
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/3 cups milk

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and celery in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
Stir in the water and potatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
In a separate small bowl, combine the flour and the milk and stir well until the flour is mostly dissolved. Pour this into the soup slowly, stirring constantly, until soup has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits

My husband claims these are even better then the biscuits you get at Red Lobster.

2 c. Bisquick

2/3 c. milk

3/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Combine bisquick, milk and cheese.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and smooth tops. Makes 8-10 buscuits.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Combine butter and garlic salt. Brush over hot biscuits.

Enjoy!

Tomato Sauce & Variation

Here's a Rachael Ray recipe I found and made last night. It's a basic tomato sauce, but one variation calls for eggplant and zucchini, the two vegetables I was trying to figure out how to use up. It ended up being really yummy!

In a medium skillet combine 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic over medium-high heat. When the garlic is sizzling add 2 cups chopped canned peeled tomatoes with their juice and season with salt (I had Italian style tomatoes and used those). Lower the heat to medium and cook stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the oil begins to separate from the sauce, 20 to 25 minutes.

Variation: Add 1 2/3 cups each finely chopped zucchini and eggplant with the tomatoes.

Varation #2: Add 2 tablespoons capers and 1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives to the sauce.

Mandarin Chic Salad

My sister made this last Saturday and it's awesome!

3/4 c. sliced almonds
8 oz. penne pasta (cooked)
2 c. cooked cubed chicken
11 oz can mandarin oranges
16 oz can pineapple shredded (save juice)
3/4 c. celery
1/4 c. onion (onion omitted)

dressing:
1 c. mayo
2/3 c. sour cream
4 tbs. pineapple juice
1 tsp. salt

mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour.

Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

A couple of you asked for this, so here it is. If you're not trying to impress anyone with a fancy meal I would make mashed potatoes seasoned the way it suggests instead of double stuffing the potatoes to save time. They do look impressive, but they are time consuming. Oh and I of course used cheddar instead of Gouda...it's just not something I have on hand!

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided, plus additional for drizzling
• Salt
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped, divided
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese

On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with a hearty drizzle of EVOO and some salt. Bake in oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Turn off oven and preheat broiler.

While the potatoes are cooling, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bell pepper and half of the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice lengthwise off of the top to expose the inside. Scoop out the potato flesh, taking care not to pierce the wall of the potato, and transfer to the bowl with the veggies (reserve the potato shells). Add the sour cream and paprika, and mash. Reserve warm.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

Add the remaining onion and garlic to the pan and cook until all the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire, some salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Fill the potato shells with the beef-mushroom mixture then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

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Eggplant

Hey girls! Thought I'd tell you how I cook up eggplant for those that I know have some this week...
Slice up eggplant into slices.
Put on cookie sheet
Drizzle with evoo
Sprinkle with salt and peppper
Broil in oven approx 10-15 minutes turning half way through
Cover in parmsean cheese and heat until melted
Serve with marinara sauce and I like some pasta to go with it!
There you have it! Eggplant parmasean!