Slow Cooker Taco Chili

1 lb browned ground beef
2 cans of condensed tomato soup
1 cup of water
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (5oz) diced tomatoes with chilies
1 packet of taco seasoning mix
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of white kidney beans
1 can of red kidney beans
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
shredded cheddar to garnish


This recipe was as easy as opening a bunch of cans! It was satisfying and tasty with just enough of a "kick" from the chilies. All I did was brown up my ground beef. I combined all of the canned ingredients, water, taco seasoning packet, onion, pepper, and the browned beef in my crock pot. My crock runs pretty hot so I almost never cook things on high. I let this chili approximately 4 hours on low, which allowed everything to soften and become flavorful. In my bowl, I sprinkled some shredded cheese on top and added a bit of sour cream to taste. Prefect for a dreary January day!

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cakies

I succumbed to the Christmas candy on clearance section of the local drugstore. Among my, ahem, "few" purchases, were a box of Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins. As you can see from the photo, the packaging was barely salvageable  for documentation purposes. :) I found the following quick and easy recipe for throwing together some cookies cake mix and the Andes candies. The original recipe used traditional Andes mints, but I think it worked well with the peppermint ones too.

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cakies

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!

Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

Nut Brittle

I was in the mood to make brittle. Don't ask me why....I've never even made brittle before. Of course, I didn't have peanuts in the house, so I improvised with cashews. I love how it turned out! And it was actually easier to make than I feared. Thank goodness for a candy thermometer! Make sure you have all of your ingredients measured and set aside in advance because once your candy reaches the proper temperature you won't have time to measure everything.

I took a large cookie sheet and lined it with tinfoil and then greased the foil for easy cleanup. I also kept the pan warm in a 200 degree oven so that when I poured the brittle liquid onto it, I would have more time to spread it. When my candy reached 250 degrees I pulled the pan from the oven so it would be ready. I found that it didn't work so well to use a utensil for spreading, so I poured the mix and shifted the pan from side to side to help the candy distribute. I tossed in the pan in the fridge to cool.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup nuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in nuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hate raisins. I love chocolate chips. So, logically, MY oatmeal cookies have chocolate chips. NOM!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Stir in oats and chips.
6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet (I always use a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on tray and then move to wire racks.

I got 3 dozen of the above sized cookies (about a tablespoon of dough) from this recipe.

Breakfast Cookies

An interesting cookie with the consistency of an oatmeal cookie. The basic cookie is moist and flavorful. I like the corn flakes in them. I'd probably skip the bacon next time though (gasp!). While the bacon wasn't bad, per se, I just didn't feel like it was necessary. I'd drop the bacon and add a smidge of salt to compensate in the future. But even as is, this is a worthwhile cookie. This recipe only yielded me 18 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 c flour, sifted - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 3/4 c white or brown sugar              (I used 1/2 c white & 1/4 c brown) - 1/2 c bacon crumbles, not artificial bacon bits

- 1/2 c butter - 1 egg (can use egg substitute) - 2 c corn flakes

DIRECTIONS

1.   Mix flour, baking soda and sugar.

2.   Stir in bacon crumbles.

3.   Mix in butter and egg.

4.   Stir in cereal. Blend well but do not beat.

5.   Drop by tspful on ungreased cookie sheet.

6.   Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool slightly before removing.

Happy New Year 2012: Tiramisu

I must say, for not being a fan of coffee flavored anything, this turned out pretty tasty. It's not a strictly traditional tiramisu. I made it in a loaf pan. I used Kahlua only rather than espresso plus rum (again, not a coffee fan). Just seemed easier. Next time I would actually soak the ladyfingers in more of the Kahlua than the recipe calls for, as they were a bit too dry just being "drizzled." But overall the flavor was nice and the mascarpone layers are delicious -- and this from a woman who doesn't especially like tiramisu. :) For some reason, the ladyfingers were difficult to find. I had to look at three grocery stores and was on the verge of baking my own. I found them in the bakery department of the third and largest grocery store, next to the round shortcake shells.

The saran wrap pulled off some of the cocoa dusting on top. Alas.

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons rum
• 2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.
4. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Was cuter before the cocoa powder top cracked in transit to the plate.

Christmas: Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients

• For The Crust

  • 1 box Nabisco NIlla Wafers 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus some additional for pan)

• For The Filling

  • 2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" springform pan with melted butter.
2. In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; process until combined. Set aside.
5. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
6. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes. (Mine needed over an hour, so watch your oven.)
7. Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days).