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You want to know the best cookie recipe? School fund raiser cookie dough in a tub!

You heard me! What better way to support our youth and satisfy our sweet tooth? I recently got a tub of lemon cookies and triple chocolate chunk from my co-worker's daughter.

They're easy to make, they come out perfect and the flavor is beyond delicious! What I like the most is I can fix exactly what we want to have. We are not big sweet eaters, so I try to not go overboard with the quantity. The dough will keep in a freezer up to a year AND you can refreeze it!

The secret to perfection is:

1. Turn that oven on the minute you think about them and let it preheat to the full temperature.
2. Let your cookie dough sit on the counter and become a little more pliable.
3. Make your dough balls a consistent size. I use a double ended scoop that came with my coffee pot. It's perfect for cookie dough scooping/making.
4. Take them out right right before they start turning golden brown. Once the color turns they end up too crispy.
5. When you take them out of the oven, let them rest on the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
6. Let the cookies totally cool before sealing them in a air-tight tub.

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Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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  I still have quite a problem with my bananas turning dark brown or black before I can use them all.  I don't buy them for any other reason than to make smoothies, but somehow they always get the best of me.  I'm super picky about eating a banana as is (it has to be fairly unripe and slightly green, not too sweet or mushy), so I feel like it is always a race against the banana.


 A few weeks ago, there wasn't any chance that I would use the bananas before they were ready to be transformed into a baked good.  I've made just about every variation of banana bread there is ( I think I have made every Cooking Light version), as well as cakes, muffins, etc., so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I immediately decided it would be the perfect way to use my bananas.  I knew I could send it to work with my husband, so there were not any worries about it being eaten.

I never, ever use more that a 1-2 Tablespoons of oil when I make quick breads or muffins.  I discovered that low-fat buttermilk can be a wonderful substitute that has less calories, less fat, but still makes things moist and delicious.   I always use this method and I have never had any problem. 

 I did cut a slice of this bread for my kids to try and I had a small bite.  It was pretty good.  It could never dethrone my favorite banana bread recipe, but it was a fun twist.  And, my husband brought home an empty plate, so I know that it was enjoyed by quite a few people.



Here is the recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread 
* I used low-fat buttermilk in place of most of the oil, all but 1 Tablespoon
* The mini Reese's stuck to the bottom of the pan a little bit, so I had to get creative and make a glaze to cover some of the holes and spots I had to patch up.


  

Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs

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  In April, I drove to Washington D.C. with my children for Spring Break.  My sister lives there with her children and it is always so much fun to visit them.  We go on tons of outings and see so many amazing things when we are there.  It's pretty great that so many of the museums, the zoo, and so many other activities are completely free!

On Friday night, my sister took me on a Girls Night Out to Georgetown.  The first thing we did involved enjoying gelato at Dolcezza  ( I had blood orange and  meyer lemon;  my sister had salted caramel and apple cider), ate at a delicious pizza place (but I can't remember the name of it!) and then we did some window shopping.  Our first stop was Dean & Deluca. 

   I realize that some people might not find this type of store exciting, but let me tell you that I could've stayed in there all day long.  It was fascinating to see so many beautiful foods and packages.   You might be wondering at this point what any of this has to do with Homemade Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs.    Well, when we were wondering around Dean & Deluca, I just happened to spy a cute little bag of ring shaped pasta.  Anelloni to be exact.   I had to have those cute little rings.  I had been looking for them because this particular recipe was on my to-make list.  (I will let you know that I did not pay as much for them in the store as the price that is listed online).

I had found my must-have item and my sister was trying to decide what kind of treat to buy from the bakery section (She settled on a ginormous peppermint brownie that we shared the next day with both of our entire families-10 people- after a hike) .  We made our purchases and went on our way.

My little ring pasta made it back here to Georgia and this recipe was one of the first things I made for dinner once we were home.

I didn't grow up eating canned Spaghetti-O's, but when I got married, I discovered that my husband really liked them.  But only the ones with meatballs.  I haven't eaten them, but he usually has some on hand, in case of an emergency.   As soon as I saw this recipe on Tracey's blog, I knew I would have to try it, if for no other reason than just so my husband could compare the homemade taste to the can.  

This homemade version is pretty easy and actually quite tasty.  My kids really liked it and my husband seemed to enjoy it too.  I made extra mini meatballs and froze them, so next time we want this yummy dish, part of it will already be ready to go.




  Here is the recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs
* I used ground chicken breast for the meatballs


  

Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie

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 I have a confession to make- up until last week, I had never, in my life, made Shepherd's Pie.  I don't remember ever eating it before.  My mom never made these types of dishes growing up.  I've never been a "meat & potatoes" type eater, so it just never  was something I was interested in making.

 2 things changed that for me- Pie Week and Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger.  

  Ellie Krieger's recipes never, ever disappoint and I like that she uses a combination of cauliflower and potatoes for the mashed topping.    I made a few changes, like using lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef, but that is just because of my personal taste preferences.

I actually put this together on a Saturday night and then covered it and put it in the fridge, so I could just pop it in the oven after church on Sunday and we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hot meal to be ready.

My family really liked this meal, (it is a meal in itself), and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and fun it was.  While we were eating it, we took turns telling stories about how this dish might have gotten the name Shepherd's Pie.  For your sake, I won't repeat any of those stories.  :D

Here is the recipe for Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used chicken broth
* I added 1/2 cup of celery to the veggies
* I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the filling
* I added some garlic powder, salt & pepper to the mashed potato/cauliflower topping and used an extra Tablespoon of butter

  

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits

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 There isn't a child in my home who still watches Sesame Street, but that didn't matter to me when I saw the new book- B is for Baking . This cookbook uses the characters from Sesame Street and I couldn't resist it.  I have had C is for Cooking for quite a few years and we use it all the time.

 I made Sweet Potato Biscuits last fall that we really loved and I noticed the version in B is for Baking was a little bit different and that it didn't use butter at all.  I was intrigued and decided it would be the first thing that we tried from this cookbook.  I made them on a night that we had a family favorite for dinner.  Whenever I make this stew, we have some sort of bread/biscuit to go with it and  I  knew these sweet potato biscuits would be great with it.  They didn't have the exact texture of a normal biscuit, but they were soft and fluffy and we loved them.   I froze a few of the leftovers and we made breakfast biscuit sandwiches the next week.  I will be making these again!

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits from  B is for Baking by Susan McQuillan
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed to equal 1 cup1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup whole-wheat flour1/4 cup cornmeal1 Tbls baking powder1/4 tsp salt1 large egg1/4 cup olive oil1/4 cup skim milk2 Tbls honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (ap flour to salt).  In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, stir together egg, oil, milk, and honey.  Stir in the mashed sweet potato.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  With your fingers, gently pat the dough out to a 9*12-inch rectangle.  Cut into 12 squares.  Places biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on rack and serve warm.




 

Best Cupcake I've Ever Eaten!

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Yes, it tastes as good as the picture looks! My fellow co-worker and MTSIG follower David Derryberry surprised me with this absolutely scrumptious birthday brownie-cookie-chocolate treat-cupcake. He had me warm it just a smidgen in the microwave before devouring. All that was missing was a glass of milk and another one. David received the recipe from Tracy and I want to extend my thanks for coming through with the recipe and letting me share all this yummy goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 roll slice and bake refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 bag brownie mix
• 12 Reese's Peanut Butter cups (regular size)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 12 muffin tin.
3. Cut 12 half inch slices of cookie dough* and smoosh into bottom of tins.
4. Place peanut butter cup in tin.
5. Mix brownie mix per package directions. Place a dollop of brownie mix on top of peanut butter cup. (Enough to cover top of PB cup). To avoid "muffin top," David says to not eat these! Just kidding. Don't overfill the tins. Seriously, a dollop will keep your cupcakes from having a muffin top. :-)
6. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

*You will have leftover cookie dough.

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Denise's Tipsy Tea aka Elk River Tea

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One of my favorite drinks to imbibe in periodically is a Long Island Tea. Problem is, when you want to whip them up for a crowd, it gets quite expensive! One evening we were packing for the river. It was going to be a hot, humid weekend and I got the brilliant idea to create my own version of a "tipsy tea," which I have officially named Elk River Tea. 

I packed a gallon of Milo's tea, some lemons and planned on creating my own concoction with some smooooth Canadian Hunter Whiskey. Of course you can fix your own sweet tea at home and make it a really inexpensive party drink.

INGREDIENTS:

• Southern Sweet Tea (Milo's or homemade only!)
• 1 oz. Canadian Hunter Whiskey
• Lemon Slices
• Lots of ice

Fill your glass with lots of ice and sweet tea. Add 1 oz. or more of Canadian Hunter Whiskey. Squeeze some lemon juice in the glass, stir and top with another lemon slice.

If  you really want to treat your guests to a really cool treat....click here for my Tipsy Pops!!

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