Monday, June 27, 2016

Double Tree Chocolate Chip Cookies

DOUBLETREE COOKIE RECIPE

YIELD: 28-30 LARGE COOKIES
 
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
 
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
Having made these cookies a bunch of times, my favorite semisweet chocolate chips for this recipe are Ghirardelli miniature ones.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), softened
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips (you can use regular-sized chocolate chips instead)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pulse oats in a food processor until semi-fine or fine.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, add the oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly together with a rubbers spatula or wooden spoon.
  3. To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add butter, both sugars. Cream together using an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and eggs. Mix until you have a smooth mixture. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bottom of the bowl with a spatula at least once.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula, being careful not to overmix. Drop in the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until both are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough. Again, be careful not to overmix or they will have a cake-like texture.
  5. Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons or you can use a medium-sized one to make even more cookies), scoop cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet. Freeze or refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight even.
  6. To bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cookie dough portions onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 13 to 14  minutes or until desired doneness (for smaller cookies, bake for 12 to 13 minutes).
  7. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack if storing. Store in a sealed container with a slice of sandwich bread to ensure softness of cookies.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Lady and Sons Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if using chuck roast)
2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef short ribs or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast*
4 quarts cold water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 tablespoon seasoned salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced green beans, fresh or canned
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas
1 cup frozen butter beans
1 cup cut okra, fresh or frozen
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
Chopped fresh parsley leaves


House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Directions
If using chuck roast, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the roast in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the roast from the skillet and cut it into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes; discard the fat. Place the beef cubes in a large stockpot. (If using short ribs, you can put them right in the pot with no preparation).

Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning, House Seasoning, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. If using short ribs, remove them from the pot and cut the meat from the bones, discard the bones and fat, and return the meat to the pot. Add the remaining vegetables and the macaroni and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley. To remove excess fat from the surface of the soup, swirl a lettuce leaf around the surface—it will pick up a lot of the fat.

*The chuck roast will yield more meat, but the bones from the short ribs give the soup an incredible flavor.

House Seasoning:
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce

The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ever!
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
The most creamy and delicious homemade alfredo sauce that you will ever make! This is a tried and true recipe and you will agree that it is the best recipe out there!
Author: 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream (2 cups)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add the grated parmesan cheese.
  2. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Toss it with your favorite pasta!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Chicken Brine

How to Cook Perfectly Tender Moist Chicken Breastorangechicken-1-5a

Boneless skinless chicken breasts used to be the bane of my existence. They’re seemingly easy enough to cook so every friend and family member I knew often cooked the bird as an easy weeknight dinner. I’ve had dry bland chicken breasts for most of my life so you can understand my thinking that it was the chicken’s fault. I count my first moist perfectly cooked boneless skinless chicken breast as a kind of “a-HA!” moment. At that point I was determined to find out how to guarantee a perfect protein every time. And you know what? It’s easier than you’d think.
While this lists off like a recipe it’s more of a process, so if you’re cooking only one pound of chicken or four you can still follow the steps, just increase or decrease the amounts.
orangechicken-1aKelsey Kinser
4 tablespoons salt, dissolved in 6 cups of warm water
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter, melted
seasonings: optional but I like them
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
orangechicken-1-2aKelsey Kinser
  1. Brine the chicken. For a long bring mix room temperature water with the salt. Submerge the chicken breasts for 4-8 hours. For the quick brine mix warm water with the salt and submerge the breasts for 15-30 minutes.
  2. Preheat your oven to 450°F and remove the chicken from the water. Pat it completely dry with a couple of paper towels and place the chicken in an oven safe baking dish.
  3. Brush the chicken with the melted butter on both sides and coat with the spices.
  4. Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, until a thermometer stuck in the center reaches 160°F. The government recommends 170°F but I find that really moist chicken occurs between 160-170°F.
  5. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest. This is a must for moist chicken. Cut into it now and all the juices will escape! Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes for small cuts, 10 minutes for large ones. Serve after the resting period.
orangechicken-1-3aKelsey Kinser
orangechicken-1-4aKelsey Kinser

Friday, January 1, 2016

Coleslaw

1-lb. Dole package coleslaw
1/2 cup mayo
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Dumpling

1-1/2 cups flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
1/4 to 1/2 cup of water (should be a stiff mixture)

2 tablespoons and drop into stew

Rum Balls

3 cups vanilla wafers (20-1 cup)
1 cup ground nuts
1/3 cup cocoa (Hershey's)
1/3 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
1/2 cup rum
1 cup confectioners sugar

Mix together & roll in granulated sugar