Chocolate Chip Scones

by penji1

YUM! These were pretty easy to put together and they were delicious so if you need some scones in your life and let’s face it, who doesn’t then give these a go!

SCONES

2 1/2 cups Bisquick plus more for dusting

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons (half stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 eggs, whisked

1/4 cup buttermilk

splash of vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, I used mini chocolate chips

ICING

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

splash of vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2 For the scones, in a large bowl, mix together Bisquick and brown sugar. Add butter and use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and stir until combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until it all comes together.

3 Dust a work surface with more Bisquick, turn dough out onto it. Using your hands, form dough into a 3/4″ thick rectangle. Use a bench scraper or large spatula to cut the rectangle into 4 equal portions. Cut each portion in half diagonally. Transfer scones to baking sheet.

4 Bale until lightly browned, about 10 – 15 minutes. Let cool.

5 For the icing, in a medium bowl combine icing ingredients (except chocolate chips) and whisk to combine. Using a spoon to drizzle or an icing bag to pipe, cover scones with icing and then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

recipe from The Pioneer Woman

White Chicken Chili

by penji1

My family likes White Chicken Chili. Me? Not so much. But I make it for them because I love them. And then I have salad for dinner. (True story.)

CHILI

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 generous tablespoon taco seasoning mix

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used 2 – 3 cans of chicken, from Costco)

2 (4 oz each) cans chopped green chilies, undrained

2 (15 oz each) cans cannellini beans, drained

4 cups chicken broth

hot sauce

2 tablespoons corn flour (I used corn starch)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 (14.75 oz) can corn

salt

TOPPINGS:

sour cream

avocado

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

lime juice

1 In a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in onion, garlic, taco seasoning and cook stirring often until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add chicken and stir to combine. Add chilies, beans, and chicken broth. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and stir. Bring mixture to a gentle boil.

2 Combine corn flour and heavy cream in a small bowl and whisk together until you have a thick paste. Pour into soup and stir. Let chili cook for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Add corn and stir in, letting cook for 2 additional minutes. Add salt if needed.

3 Serve with desired toppings.

recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Chocolate Dipped Easter Bunny Peeps

by penji1

Here’s a quick and easy and also super cute Easter treat.

1 package candy melts – I used a bag of pink Strawberries and Cream candy melts

12 Easter Bunny Peeps (It will look better if you buy peeps that are the same color as your candy melts, I bought some blue peeps and the blue showed through on some, I should have bought all pink Peeps)

12 Popsicle sticks or paper straws

6 mini marshmallows, cut in half

12 small candy eyes

1 Melt candy melts according to package directions.

2 Dip the end of a Popsicle stick in the melted candy melts and stick into bottom of a bunny. Then dip carefully in the melted candy melts until covered, shake very carefully to remove excess then lay on a parchment covered surface.

3 Place either two eyes towards the top of the bunny or one half of a marshmallow (for a tail) towards the bottom. Let set completely before removing from parchment.

Happy Easter!

Sarah Kieffer’s Blondies

by penji1

I got a new cookbook that I am just loving so far, called “100 Cookies” by Sarah Kieffer. Everything I’ve made so far has been delightful. These blondies are the latest try. So good!

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

1 egg, at room temperature

3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13″ baking pan.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.

3 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Whisk in egg.

4 Transfer to bowl with flour and baking powder and stir just until combined. Add pecans and chips and stir in gently.

5 Transfer to prepared pan and spread into even layer. Bake 18 – 24 minutes or until blondies are set and top is golden brown and just beginning to form cracks and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

recipe from Sarah Keiffer (this blondie recipe is similar to the one above)

Lemon Oat Bars

by penji1

These were delicious! Here’s a closer look at that creamy lemony filling.

If you love lemon, then these are for you!

LEMON FILLING

2 (14 oz each) cans sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

CRUST

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 13″ pan.

2 For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together filling ingredients.

3 For the crust, beat together flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, and salt to combine. Add butter and mix until crumbly.

4 Press half the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully spread filling over crust. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over top. Bake 15 – 20 minutes until filling is set and does not jiggle and crumb topping is light golden brown.

5 Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool. Place pan in fridge for 4 – 6 hours before slicing. Store in fridge.

recipe from Sarah Kieffer’s 100 Cookies

The Best Fettuccine Alfredo

by penji1

This was good and easy to make but I think I need some practice with it. You can kind of see that the sauce wasn’t smooth but it tasted great, especially the next day. It definitely benefited from the grated lemon zest and some salt and pepper.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

12 ounces fettuccine, cooked according to package directions and drained

grated zest of 2 lemons for serving

1 In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Press garlic into butter and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Pour in the cream and stir, letting mixture heat until it bubbles around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and stir until completely smooth. Add salt and pepper and stir.

2 Add drained pasta and toss with tongs until coated in sauce. Top each serving with lemon zest and more salt and pepper.

recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Tamale Pie

by penji1

Doesn’t that look good? Here’s a look at the inside

Looks even better on the inside. This was the bomb (is that still a thing?). Everyone loved it and it will go into the meal rotation. Highly recommend!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds ground beef

1 (19 oz) can red enchilada sauce

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

salt and pepper

2 (8.5 oz each) boxes corn muffin mix

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 (14.75 oz) can corn, drained

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 Preheat oven to 400.

2 In a 12″ skillet or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion starts to turn translucent, 3 – 4 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until beef is browned, 5 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Add enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

3 Pour corn muffin mixes into a medium bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, and corn and stir almost until combined then add melted butter and stir just until combined.

4 Sprinkle cheeses over meat mixture then spoon cornbread batter over cheese and carefully spread out. Bake until surface is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. She said about 20 minutes but mine took about 40 minutes.

5 Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

recipe from the Pioneer Woman

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

by penji1

These were good but lacked a little bit of sweetness for me so if I make them again I will probably go with regular sugar instead of the brown sugar.

1/2 cup oil or melted butter

2/3 cup light brown, dark brown, white, or raw sugar

1/2 cup milk, coffee, or water

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/3 cups chocolate chips, divided

1 Heat oven to 350. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs. Sprinkle salt and baking soda over batter then whisk to combine. Add cocoa powder and whisk until lumps are gone. Whisk in flour then stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.

3 Scoop batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle tops with remaining chips. Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Walt Disney’s Chili and Beans

by penji1

This was a good chili recipe, I didn’t love it but the boys in my house did, probably because of all the meat!

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 pound beef stew meat

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 plum tomatoes, diced

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons beef base

1 1/2 cups water

1 (14.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add stew meat and saute until meat is browned on all sides. Remove meat and set aside.

2 Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to pot. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

3 Return stew meat to pot. Add cumin, chili powder, onion powder, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, can of diced tomatoes, beef base, and water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer over low heat for 3 hours or until stew meat is tender. Add pinto beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

recipe from Disneylandear

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

by penji1

Made some soda bread for St Patrick’s Day. It was surprisingly easy and tasted delicious.

4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1 Preheat oven to 425. Grease a cast iron skillet.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in buttermilk just until combined and starts to become stiff to stir. Transfer to work surface with floured hands and knead dough 5 – 10 times or until all flour is moistened and dough comes together. Form into an 8″ round and place in prepared pan.

3 With a very sharp knife, cut a 1/4″ deep X on top. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

recipe from Countryside Cravings