Butter Dream Cookies

We all have our favorite Christmas cookies that we make year after year but sometimes it is fun to try a new one and see if it becomes a tradition.  This little cookie sounds elegant, light & pretty.  I like how it uses the red cherries for decoration.

Butter Dream Cookies

~found somewhere on the internet and printed off to try later

• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup shortening
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 24 maraschino cherries (about one-half of a 10-ounce jar)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter & shortening with a mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar; beat until combined, combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in almond extract and salt until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour; continue stirring until dough comes together, or use your hands to knead dough if necessary.
2.  Shape dough in to 1-inch balls.  Place balls about 1 inch part on ungreased cookie sheets.  Press your thumb into the center of each ball.  Drain maraschino cherries.  Pat cherries dry with paper towels.  Cut each cherry in half.  Place a cherry half, cut side down, in the indentation of each cookie.
3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.  Makes about 48 cookies.

Tupps Tidbits ~ if you follow the blog or know us well, you know that “Tupps” is not cooking this one, Deanna does the baking….So this is Deanna Tidbits - you really need to watch the bottoms on this one, you want to pull the cookie out of the oven just after it is lightly brown, you might need to take them out and check them a few times, do not over bake

We found that this cookie reminded us a lot of a “Spritz” cookie.  So if you do not want to get out your Spritz gadget out this year… this the recipe for you.  They are very buttery & sweet and definitely a KEEPER in our house!  Enjoy and happy baking!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

We have been looking for a simple quick chicken dinner recipe & came across this Bruschetta Chicken at allrecipes.com.  What is Bruschetta you ask?  When it has been served to me, as an appetizer, it included a salsa type mixture placed on top of garlic toast with a bit of cheese.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Allrecipes.com

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cubed

1 tsp salt

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

½ cup water

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 (6 ounce) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
• Toss the cubed chicken with the salt in a large bowl.  Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish.  Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, & stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften.  Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.  Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top.

• Bake uncovered until the chicken cubes have turned white & are no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.

Tupps Tidbits ~ cut the chicken in similar size to ensure the chicken is cooked evenly

This was an extremely simple & quick meal to prepare & have on the table in about 45 minutes.  You can have everything cut up & ready to go by the time the oven preheats.  It was a delicious creative chicken meal that really mimicked the popular Italian appetizer.  Defiantly a KEEPER & one will we be making again & again! 

Also, just an FYI, we have been behind a few weeks in “posting “the recipes on the blog, but to ensure you, we are keeping up with our 2012 resolution in making/trying one new recipe a week.  Are you still working on your resolution?

Busy-Day Pork Chops

Looking at this Taste of Home recipe makes me think that it would be a substitute for making your own “shake-n-bake”.  All you need is to thaw out some pork chops & this would be a quick fix for them.

Busy-Day Pork Chops

Tasteofhome.com

¼ cup fat-free milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

4 boneless pork lion chops

Cooking spray

:

• Place milk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder & pepper.  Dip pork chops in milk, then coat with crumb mixture.
• Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray; spritz chops with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 for 9 -11 minutes on each side.

Tupps Tidbits ~ You must dip pork in the milk to get the crumb mixture to stick to the chop

This was an extremely simple meal to prepare & the mixture coated the pork chop every well but there was not any extra taste added to the pork chop. I do not believe any taste of home recipes we have experienced we have not enjoyed but this dish would need additional seasonings to make it a keeper…. and it is definitely NOT A KEEPER!

Recipes are coming......

Recipes are coming….please be patience with us!  We have been making, creating and trying them….just a little behind in posting…..Thank you!

Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries

Butternut squash recipe number 2 for the year coming your way….  I warned you, we might have a few of these.  Hungry Girl web site states that butternut squash is lower in carbs than a sweet potato but tastes just as awesome.   I have yet to find anything that compares to the taste of a fresh potato but we will try this one.

Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries

~hungry-girl.com

1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs – large enough to yield 20 oz. once peeled & sliced

1/8 tsp coarse salt, or more to taste

Optional dip: ketchup

• Preheat oven to 425 & spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.

• Peel squash & slice off the ends.  Cut in half widthwise, just above the round section. Cut the round piece in half lengthwise & scoop out the seeds.

• Cut squash into French-fry-shaped spears, using a crinkle cutter if you’ve got one. Thoroughly pat dry.  Lay spears on the sheets & sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Flip spears & bake until mostly tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 15 minutes more.

Makes 2 servings & each serving is only 125 calories!

Tupps Tidbits ~ The squash is easy to burn.  So make sure you don't over cook it.

What can I say?  I loved it, yes it was definitely squash and not baked potato but it was really good! We just dipped them in ketchup like a fry…totally shocking!  We made burgers on the grill & it became a nice dinner. I would recommend them.  They are not going to replace the French- fry in our house, just a healthier alternative some nights.  KEEPER!

Almond Bread

“A quick slice of heaven” is how this article reeled me in. Ok and if you know me, you know I love bread & it stated it had a quick bread for every taste. We choose the Almond Bread which called for a package of almond paste…what is almond paste?....neither of us had ever seen nor baked with before but the bread looked yummy!

Almond Bread

Cooking Light Magazine October 2012

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2./3 cup sugar

2 Tbs. butter, softened

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 (7-ounce) package almond paste

2 large eggs

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup plus 1 Tbs. milk

Baking spray with flour

¼ cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, baking powder & salt, stirring well with a whisk & set aside.

Place sugar & next 3 ingredients (through the almond paste) in a large bowel; beat with mixer at medium speed until well combined (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; beat in vanilla.  Beating at low speed, add flour mixture & ½ cup milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat just until combined.

Scrape batter in 9 x 5 metal loaf pan coated with baking spray; sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Add remaining 1 Tbs. of milk & dash of salt; stir with a whisk until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over top of bread; let stand until set.

Tupps Tidbits ~ this week it is a “D” tidbit since I am the baker….most cakes/breads are done when toothpick comes out clean – for this one, you want remove it from the oven when the toothpick still has some moist crumbs attached so you do not over bake

For the package of almond paste we did find it in the baking aisle but it was in a “can” not a package.  It made this loaf so incredibly moist & dense, almost like a pound cake.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy!  I feel it could have used a little more glaze to amp up the sugar/sweetness but it was still lovely bread. KEEPER!  

Whipped Squash

Fall is here!  Beautiful leaves, warm days, cool nights, pumpkins & squash! We had a healthy crop of butternut squash this year (.....not as much as John Liffrig).  Since Sean & I have not ever eaten his type of squash, you might be seeing a few recipes experimenting with it.  We are going to start out with a traditional one.

Whipped Squash

Tasteofhome.com

1 butternut squash (about 2-1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cubed

3 cups water

¾ tsp. salt, optional, divided

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1/8 tsp to ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring squash, water and ½ tsp of salt if desired to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
• Drain; transfer to a bowl.  Add butter, brown sugar, nutmeg and remaining salt is desired; beat until smooth.

Tupps Tidbits ~ I was able to use my vegetable peeler for this squash; after 15 minutes the squash was tender, so watch your boiling time

This was an excellent way to serve one of the season’s most delicious vegetables. We decided to make stuffed pork chops and if your oven is full it made it easy that this is as made on the stove top.   Its rich flavor & golden harvest color really came through in this vegetable side dish. We enjoyed the dish and it is definitely a KEEPER!