S'mores (Winter Style)

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

S'mores (Winter Style)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars
1 cup marshmallow creme

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

2.  Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

3.  Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended.

4.  Press half of dough into prepared pan.

5.  Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to fit.

6.  Spread with marshmallow creme.

7.  Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow; carefully press to form a layer.

8.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely in pan.  Cut into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.

Sick of the cold weather already?  And craving your favorite summer treat?  Then this recipe will definitely catch your eyes.

I think this version of the traditional s'mores is just as good, if not better.

They are perfect for a cold winter night and will transport you back to your summer fun.  You can even sit in front of the fireplace and feel even more like you are reliving the summer.

S'more bars make good gifts to brighten someone's day, or great dessert!

Check them out and let me know what you think :)

Jeff Specials

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Jeff Specials

Ingredients:

Honey graham crackers
Creamy peanut butter
Hershey's special dark chocolate chips
Milk

Directions:

1.  Remove 2 full graham crackers from the box and gently lay them down on a plate.

2.  Spread the desired amount of peanut butter over each graham cracker.

3.  Sprinkle each graham cracker with chocolate chips.

4.  Pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!

My father died this past May, and in honor of his memory, I am sharing the recipe to his daily dessert.

Every night after dinner, my father would make his way over to the pantry and take out the box of honey graham crackers, the jar of creamy peanut butter, and bag of Hershey's special dark chocolate chips.

He then would delicately remove to graham crackers from the box and set them down on his plate.  He spread the perfect amount of peanut butter over each graham cracker, and sprinkle the dark chocolate chips on top.

He would bring his "special" over to the table, along with a fresh glass of skim milk to follow each bite he took.

This creation became a staple in my house, and famous among my family.

My mom, sister, and I continue to make this delicious dessert.  I know my daddy would is smiling over us and continuing to eat a "special" every night, wherever he is.

Fun Marshmallow Bars

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Fun Marshmallow Bars

Ingredients:

1 package devil's food cake mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup water
1 egg
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate M&M's
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions:

1.  In a large mixing bowl, compine the dry cake mix, butter, water, and egg; mix well.

2.  Press into a greased 13 in. x 9 in. x 2 in. bakin pan.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4.  Sprinkle with marshmallows, M&M's and peanuts.

5.  Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until the marshmallows begin to melt.

6.  Cool on a wire rack.

7.  Cut into bars.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen bars.

These colorfully decorated marshmallow bars look great at parties and bake sales!  Everyone, young and old, are sure to love them!

Using the cake mix definitely cuts your prep time, making these delicious treats easy to make in a short period of time.

You can freeze the bars and eat them at a later time, or be prepared to watch them disappear if you leave them out after you bake them.

Be creative and try all different toppings on top of the marshmallows...the possibilities are endless!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions:

1.  In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

2.  Add the pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and orange peel; mix well.

3.  Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture just until blended.

4.  Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.

5.  For topping, combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

6.  Sprinkle over batter.

7.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes.

Makes about 1 dozen muffins.

The pumpkin flavor of these nicely spiced muffins is complemented by a sweet brown-sugar topping.  One bath disappears quite quickly.

These muffins are perfect for this time of year.  Pumpkins are everywhere!  With Halloween and Thanksgiving right around the corner, the aroma that these muffins will fill your kitchen with, serves perfectly for fall.

These muffins taste great for breakfast or as an after school snack.  I highly recommend dipping them in a pumpkin spice latte!

Only one word comes to mind when I think of baking these muffins...YUM!

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.  Beat eggs in one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

3.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well-blended.

4.  Mix in the oats and chocolate chips.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

5.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow cookies to cool completely before transferring them from the baking sheet.

Makes about three dozen cookies.

If you are the type of person who loves oatmeal cookies, then head to the store and grab the above listed ingredients now!  This recipe makes a good, basic cookie.

My whole family is full of "cookie monsters".  Soft and little chewy in the inside, and a light crunch around the edge.  These cookies remain chewy and moist for days to come.

Adding cinnamon adds a little twist.  You can also add dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, toffee bits, or white chocolate chips too!

Most people can not wait to let them cool down before devouring them!

Delicious Oatmeal Cookies.  Photo by:  Allie Grossman

Chicken Cheesy Meatballs

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Chicken Cheesy Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 pound ground all-white meat chicken
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
14- ounce pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 jars tomato sauce

Directions:

1.  Over medium heat, heat up two jars of tomato sauce.

2.  In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, chicken, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and flat-leaf parsley.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.

3.  Roll the prepared mix into medium sized meatballs, about 2-3 inches round.

4.  Place a piece of mozzarella cheese in the middle of each meatball, and maneuver the meat around the cheese so that all of the cheese is covered.

5.  Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce and simmer until cooked through.

These meatballs have become a staple item in my house.  One day, my mom and I were watching Rachael Ray after school.  It just so happened that she was making this dish and we both said that we had to try it.  Ever since, we make this dish weekly.

My sister and I do not eat red meat and tended not to like the texture of meatballs, so we were hesitant to try this recipe.  However, they are absolutely delicious!  They are the perfect italian meal and go well with pretty much anything.

We've eaten them over pasta, made meatball subs out of them, or just had them alone with Caesar salad.  Any way you eat them, you can not go wrong.

We also make them for holidays and freeze the extras.  We make large amounts of them every time we make them and freeze the remains for left overs in the future.

If you or your family are Italian lovers, be sure to try out this amazing recipe.  Thanks Rachael Ray!

Kookie Kisses

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Kookie Kisses

Ingredients:

48 Hershey Milk Chocolate Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional granulated sugar


Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Unwrap all the Hershey Kisses.

2.  Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until creamy and well blended.  Add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy.  Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.

3.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

4.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

5.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

6.  Immediately press a Hershey Kiss into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.  Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.


Not only are these cookies delicious, they look great too!  The Hershey Kiss on top adds the perfect decoration to make stomach's growl from across the room.

I find that these cookies taste great right after they come out of the oven.  The Hershey Kiss melts into the cookie and tingles your chocolate taste buds.

These cookies also last in the freezer.  If you have lots of extras, stick them in a plastic bag and place them in the freezer.  They serve as a great snack for later on in the future.

Last New Year's Eve, I made these cookies for a holiday party.  Unfortunately, I did not have any cookies left over to save. These Kookie Kisses might get you a midnight kiss on New Year's Eve!

Try them out and share the deliciousness!

Kookie Kisses.  Photo by Allie Grossman.

Ooey-Gooey Tollhouse Cookies

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Ooey-Gooey Tollhouse Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate morsels

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

3.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in morsels.

4.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

5.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

Makes about 60 cookies.


These classic cookies are my all-time favorite, go-to cookie recipes.  The ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies are the perfect things to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Dipped in milk or just eaten plain, these cookies never disappoint.  I made them over the weekend just for fun and they lasted a total of 24-hours in my house.  They are just too hard to resist!

They also serve as a great air freshener.  The aroma that emerges from the oven when these cookies are baking is enough to spark any appetite.

Send them to a relative, make them for a friend, or even for yourself!

If you really want to impress people, buy some vanilla ice cream and make mini chipwiches.  Just sandwich two cookies together with ice cream in the middle.  Or, serve the ice cream over the hot cookies right after they come out of the oven.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to different ways to prepare these cookies.

Try to resist the urge to eat all the cookie dough!  We don't want any upset stomachs that can't enjoy the homemade cookies!

Cookie Dough Batter.  Photo by Allie Grossman.

Batter, baking sheet, baked.  Photo by Allie Grossman.

The final product.  Photo by Allie Grossman.