White Chocolate Apricot Cookies

When I was working as a household assistant I got to do a lot of experimentation in the kitchen. My boss would buy fun books to help be more creative with the kids lunches and snacks. She found one Lunch Boxes and Snacks By Annabel Karmel, you can find her book and others like it on my amazon store. I made few things from the book, the kids enjoyed them. One great healthy cookie was this White chocolate apricot cookie. Its soft and chewy just how I like a cookie, and its different. The textures and flavors go together well.

Ingredients
1/2c unsalted butter
1/2c cream cheese
1/2c sugar
1/2c AP flour
1/4c chopped dried apricots
1//4c chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line some baking sheets with parchment or other baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, then fold in the apricots and chocolate. The dough will be quite soft  and wet.
Drop heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes until lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool and harden for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin

I love making scalloped potatoes for Easter.

OMG I love them soooo much, I love them so much I bought a mandolin to cute thin potatoes.

Ingredients

5 potatoes sliced thin

1/2c sharp shredded cheddar 

1/4c butter 

4tbsp American cheese (velveta)

1/2c milk

Method

Peel and slice potatoes. 

Layer in oven safe dish with cheese, and butter

Pour milk over the dish and bake at 300 covered until potatoes are tender approx 45 min. 

Drain off some of the butter. Let stand for 5-10 min

Enjoy

Mashed Potato Soup

Easter Dinner is so fabulous. Its leftovers are even more amazing. You can take your Ham bone and your mashed potatoes and make a nice warm soup. I love to add a little cheese and sour cream on top, then its like a baked potato soup.

Ingredients
1 Ham Bone or 8 strips of bacon
2 carrots
1/2 onion
2 stalks of celery
1 diced up peeled potato (optional)
4c chicken stock
2c mashed potatoes 
Garlic Salt and Pepper
1/2tsp Thyme
Cream/ Milk (optional)

Method
Saute Carrots onion and Celery and potato with bacon or ham bone. Cook till fragrant. Cook stock in soup pan on stove, add sauteed vegetables, spices and meat. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add in potatoes and cook for about 15 more min. If your soup is too thick add some cream or milk until its at your desired consistency, the soup should be a little thick, it  is potato soup!

Mexi Black bean and Beef Burger

Holy Burger! This was defiantly one of my greatest creations. Cheddar filled burger topped with sauteed peppers, guacamole, queso cheese, and Frito's oh yes please! This is sublime. Must I say more...

Ingredients for meat version 
1 can black beans smashed up
1lb ground beef
1/2tsp cumin
1/4tsp chili powder
1tsp taco seasoning

Vegetarian burger

1c Breadcrumbs

1/4c Grated White Onion

1 Egg

1/4tsp Chili Powder

Salt And Pepper

1/2tsp cumin

1tsp taco seasoning

Sharp Cheddar cheese cubes

Toasted buns

Queso

8oz velveta cheese

1 14oz can rotel tomatoes

2 tbsp Pace Picante

1/4c milk

Melt cheese in saucepan, add milk, tomatoes and pace mix together until fully melted.

Toppings

Frito's

Tomato

Guacamole

Sauteed Peppers and Onions

Lettuce

Method

Smash up can of black beans, mix with ground beef, add in spices. Form Patties, halt the thickness you would normally, add cheese in the center on the top of a patty, place another patty on top of the patty and cheese, press and pinch sides together. Cook patties on grill, or on grill pan until cooked thoroughly.

Butter and toast buns.

Saute red, orange, yellow peppers with onions.

Top with Guacamole

And QUESO

Chewy Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip cookies are really just not as easy of a task as you think. Sure its a pretty basic cookie, but if you want really good chocolate chip cookies its a little more tricky. I love soft and chewy cookies that are crisp on the outside. I have tried many recipes and the cookies a harden, or are flat. Close to but just not right. I have used a recipe that was close, this last time I decided to change the recipe completely. I actually pioneered the most perfect Chocolate chip recipe I can claim as my own recipe.Please try it. Its the best you will ever know I promise.

I like to double the recipe, I roll and freeze the extra dough so I can bake fresh cookies all the time. The recipe follows as normal not doubled.

Ingredients
3/4C butter softened
3/4C butter flavored Crisco shortening
1 1/4C sugar
1 1/2C brown sugar
1tbsp Vanilla
1tbsp almond extract
2 eggs
2C AP flour
2C Cake Flour
2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1 bag semisweet or milk chocolate chocolate chips

Method
Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl mix butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy, add in vanilla and almond extract. Add eggs until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl mix the flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt until well combined.  Stir dry mixture gradually into the butter mixture until combined, add in Chocolate chips.

On an un greased cookie sheet drop 1/4 cupfulls 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake 12-15 min until light brown, the centers will be soft! Cool slightly on sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Almond Paste

I love marzipan, almond extract, almond paste almond, delicious. If you make this filling you can use it for a Galette des Rois, put it in your croissant and heat it, Eat in your crepes, spread it where ever your heart desires its great. I store it in a jar in the fridge and indulge freely

Ingredients
1/2c very finely ground almonds
6tbsp unsalted butter
1/2c sugar
1/2tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
1tsp vanilla extract
1/3c AP flour
1/2c

Method
To make the filling Beat the almonds, flour butter sugar and salt till creamy.

 

 Add the Egg yolks and Vanilla until well blended

  

 

Peach Almond Galette

Galette des Rois is served January 6 to celebrate Epiphany. If you want you may add a Feve. The kids love the game. A feve is a little porcelain figurine that represents the birth of Jesus.  I love the Galette. It is a simple crust to make. You can make it with any fruit. Try it its an easy desert.

For the crust
1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
1tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ c  butter
¼ c  cold water, as needed

For the filling
¼ c  sugar 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 large peaches, pealed, pitted, and sliced
Maple syrup, for brushing
Vanilla sugar, for sprinkling
  
Almond
2/3 c  almond paste 
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c  sugar
½ tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/3 c AP Flour
½ c very finely ground whole almonds

Method
For the crust
In a food processor, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse until ingredients are combined.
Add butter and pulse until mixture has a crumbly consistency.
Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until dough just holds together. Make sure you don’t overprocess! Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.Once refrigerated, roll out dough to 1/8″ thick. Using a sharp knife and a 9″ round cake pan as a template, cut the dough into a circle.
 Refrigerate for 10 more minutes.

Almond

To make the filling: Beat the almond paste, butter, sugar, and salt until creamy.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated.

Mix in the flours. 

Peach filling
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add vanilla and peaches and toss until coated.

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the dough in the center of your pan spread a layer of almond filling.

Starting in the center, lay the peaches in a concentric circle, each one overlapping the last. Be sure to leave a 1 ½” border  of pie crust so that you can fold it over the peaches.

Brush with maple syrup and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

For just an almond Galette