Peanut Butter Cookies

Sunday morning I got up decided to make cookies. Now what kind is the next question. We just bought a new jar of peanut butter (Jif). So Peanut butter cookies it is. Then I went through my recipes. I found a few different ones I have made. The one I chose was a recipe I was given from a friend I used to work with. After I had the batter made and ready to roll into balls, I thought I wanted them all the same size. A large cookie, so how was I going to obtain that....oh yes, my son sells on ebay I used the scale. Ok, onto the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Beat butter until soft
Add sugar gradually and blend until mixture is creamy
Add egg, peanut butter, salt, and baking soda: Beat this until well blended
Add flour and mix slowly until mix throughly
Add vanilla


Roll the dough into small balls. Place them on a grease cookie sheet. Press with fork dipped in sugar to flatten.
Bake about 15 minutes at 375 F

Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

I had to work over-time today. My son needed to go back to Home Depot for caulking and wood filler for the dining room redo. We bought a Pee Gee Hydrangea for the front garden. We came home and had to go to Wal-mart for a blind which they did not have, so back to home depot for the blind. Back home and he started working on the room. I decided to make dinner. I felt like Sweet and Sour Pork Chops with oven roasted potatoes with the Sweet & Sour Sauce over them too.

Sweet & Sour Pork Chops

Ingredients

3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika

Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Mix well, and boil to reduce until the mixture is thickened about 1/2 the volume.

Bake pork chops at 350° for about 25 minutes. Add sauce to first side of chops and return to oven for another 5 minutes. Take out and turn chops over and add more sauce. Return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Honey Garlic Fried Chicken

With the Parmesan Potatoes I made. Dan made Honey Garlic Fried Chicken. And I would have to say they were amazing!!!

Chicken Drummets (the amount for your family)
1/2 quart buttermilk
Salt

Rinse the chicken and salt generously , set aside. Put the 1/2 quart buttermilk in medium bowl.
Add chicken to buttermilk and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Add 1 1/2 cups flour to large plastic bag. Add Salt, pepper and spices if you wish.

Heat oil in large pot. Enough to cover the chicken when added. Add chicken pieces to flour 5 to 7 cover completely with flour. Then add to heated oil and cook for 5 minutes take out set on plate. Add other half to flour and then add to heated oil cook for 5 minutes. Take out and set on plate. Then add first batch back to heated oil and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Take out and drain on paper towel. Do the same for the second batch. When drained add chicken to medium sized bowl.
While they are draining make the Honey Garlic Sauce.

1/2 jar honey (250g)
1 clove garlic, crushed
soya sauce to taste

In small sauce pan heat honey, garlic and soya sauce until completely mixed and heated. Take the sauce and pour over chicken. Coat well, and serve.

Oven Parmesan Chips

I have a cookbook Called What's Cooking With Ruth Fremes Book 5. She was on tv in 1980's. I watched her show all the time. Ruth Fremes put out several books, I have all of them. I have not been able to find her books anywhere for you to see them, however.
Back to the recipe. These are amazing, crispy yet soft inside and the parmesan cheese on top...well you just have to try them. No one will believe they are low calorie.
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

4 medium baking potatoes( I used red potatoes)
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp. grated onion
Salt
Pepper
Dash paprika
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 425°. Wash and cut unpeeled potatoes into 1/8" slices and place single layer on lightly buttered baking sheets. Melt butter in small saucepan and add onion, salt, pepper, and paprika. Brush butter mixture on potatoes and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and golden. Remove from oven and place on plate lined with paper towel and drain a bit. Then place in bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve at once.

Sunday Breakfast

My son has been working on my house. He is now in the Dining room putting up crown moulding. Last night was not so good. It is an art to put up crown moulding, but with reading on the internet how to do it, this morning seems to be going better. I made breakfast for him Sunmaid Raisin Bread French Toast, Bacon, Juice and Fresh Fruit cut up.

Potato Chip Cookies Drizzled With Chocolate

I have not made these cookies for about 15 years. On the weekend I decided to make them this morning. They are crispy and soft, the texture is very pleasing. After they were baked I made a gnash and drizzled over the top. That took them to the next level.

Potato Chip Cookies with Drizzled Chocolate

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla, I used vanilla paste
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup crushed potato chips

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and flour gradually and beat until blended. Stir in potato chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto a un-greased cookie sheet. When cookies are cooled drizzled chocolate gnash over the tops of the cookies.
Bake 350 for 13 to 15 minutes.
Makes 3 Dozen cookies.



Panel from Work:

Dave: Very Good, never guess that there are potato chips in recipe

Rosemarie: Very tasty, tasted like shortbread, liked the chocolate on the top

Deb: Yummy!! Tastes good, like shortbread. Enjoyed V.M. Good perhaps at Xmas time with colored sprinkles on top instead of chocolate. Good at anytime of year!! :)

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

I bought an Ice-cream Maker during the week at Sears. One of the books I found at the library was Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt. I made French-Vanilla Ice Cream and added 2/3 cup chopped oreo's about 10 minutes before the ice cream maker was done. It tastes very much like what we buy at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

3 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a heavy medium saucepan, combine half and half, sugar and beaten egg yolks.
Cook and stir over low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon and it is slightly thickened.
Cool to room temperature.
Stir in whipping cream and vanilla.
Pour into ice cream maker.
Follow the manufacturers directions.
Makes 2 quarts.

I added 1 tsp. cornstarch to the first mixture.
And added 2/3 cup coarsely chopped Oreo Cookies.

Brownie Babe Of The Month

After making the Black Forrest Brownies on the last Brownie Babe of the Month. I was trying to think when I made brownies before. It had to be more than 15 years ago. They were a buttermilk brownie. I will have to find that recipe and try it again. Anyway, back to the recipe for the Brownie Babe of the Month at Once upon a tart. I took out a few cookbooks from the library. Let me see .......... 10 I see here on my desk. I found a couple brownie recipes I want to try one is Coconut - Cluster Brownies with Gnash from Brownies to die for by Bev Shaffer.

After making these brownies I felt something was missing from them. I had some gnash left over from the Potato Chip Cookies. I decided to put some of the gnash on the brownie and THAT was what they were missing!!

Coconut-Cluster Brownies With or Without Gnash

Brownies Base:
2 Cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Coconut-cluster topping:
2 cups sweetened toasted coconut
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Gnash
butter
cream
semi-sweet and/or milk chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 15x10x1" baking pan.

for Brownie base:
In medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, blending well.

Add flour and cocoa; mix well. Spread this mixture into prepared pan.

For Coconut-cluster topping:
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Spread over batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or unti cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. (The topping should be golden). Cool pan completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Gnash Topping
In small saucepan melt butter and cream, when heat add chocolate remove from heat and stir until chocolate melted. Let cool. Add Gnash on top of coconut mixture.