Caramel, Pretzel, Chocolat Chip Cookies

I stumbled across this recipe over at yourhomebasemom.blogspot.com. They are so good. The sweet and salty compliment each other very nicely :0)



INGREDIENTS FOR 3 DOZEN:
1 C. Butter Flavored Shortening or Butter
¾ C. White Sugar
¾ C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
2¼ C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Milk Chocolate Chips
1 C. Caramel Bits
½ C. Broken Pretzel Pieces
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer cream together shortening/butter with brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and beat until combine. Add in vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt and stir until combined. Do not over mix. Add in chocolate chips, caramel bits and pretzels. Drop by spoonful onto a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on sheet for five minutes and then move to a wire rack.

The best pork ribs EVER!

2 racks of Pork Ribs...(I am sure that you can use the same recipes for beef ribs).

Cut ribs in half and marinate overnight in mixture of
3 parts Apple Juice to 1 part Apple Cider Vinegar

In a small bowl, combine the following
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons white wine
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
measurements are approximate...


Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Cut each full rack of ribs in half, so that you have 4 half racks. Sprinkle salt and pepper (more pepper than salt), and top with the above mixture. Wrap each half rack in aluminum foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
Cool and unwrap.. grill on BBQ with favorite BBQ Sauce..

Homemade BBQ sauce that is so good!
2 1/4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup tomato paste (or more if needed for thickness)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1/2 tablespoon ground red chili pepper

Yummy Brownie Pudding

You are going to love this. It is so good. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream.

Brownie Pudding
INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
½ Lb. Unsalted Butter, Plus Extra for Buttering The Dish
4 Extra-Large Eggs, at Room Temperature
2 C. Sugar
¾ C. Good Cocoa Powder
½ C. All-Purpose Flour
Seeds Scraped from 1 Vanilla Bean
1 Tbs. Framboise Liqueur, Optional
Vanilla Ice Cream, for Serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the ½ pound of butter and set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside. When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.
COMMENTS: When I made this I used 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract and ½ tsp. Almond Extract instead of the vanilla bean and framboise liqueur.

Barefoot Contessa's

Homemade Granola Bars
Store bought granola bars are loaded with so much junk, I never buy them. Oh, and they can be spendy for the loads of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. So, i went of a search for a recipe that would satisfy me. This recipe is so good. Some of my kids do not appreciate them as much as I do, but this was only my first trial. Next time I will leave out some of the fruit and add chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe and put half in the freezer. With school right around the corner, I can use all the ideas that I can get. Enjoy!!

Homemade Granola bars
INGREDIENTS FOR 12-16 BARS:
2 C. old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 C. Sliced Almonds
1 C. Shredded Coconut, Loosely Packed
1/2 C. Toasted Wheat Germ
3 Tbs. Butter
2/3 C. Honey
1/4 C. Light Brown Sugar, Lightly Packed
1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 C. Chopped Dates
1/2 C. Chopped Dried Apples
1/2 C. Dried Cranberries
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Wild West Sizzlin' Chicken Tacos

Here is a new recipe from Betty Crocker. This is a recipe that sounded a little strange, but one thing that I have learned about cooking is that sometimes 'different' ingredients go well together. These little Bad Boys had great reviews from everyone in my family. AND, they are so easy to prepare and there is not a huge mess in the kitchen.


Wild West Sizzlin’ Chicken Tacos
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:
2 C. Cooked Chicken Strips
½ tsp. Ground Cumin
½ tsp. Ground Paprika
4 Stand ‘N Stuff Taco Shells
1 Medium Red Bell Pepper, Cut Into Thin Strips
1 C. BBQ Baked Beans
1 C. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
4 Slices Bacon, Crispy Cooked, Crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat oven to 400°F. In small bowl, toss chicken strips with cumin and paprika to coat. In 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish, stand taco shells side by side.
Fill each shell evenly with seasoned chicken. Divide pepper strips evenly over chicken. Top each with 1/4 cup baked beans and 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with grape tomatoes.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

I made this last night for dinner. It is from the Barfoot Contessa's cookbook Back to Basics. I can tell that we are going to have a lasting relationship. I adjusted the sauce a bit to my liking. It has a kick and the way that she had it, there was a little to much horseradish for my liking. ENJOY!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
INGREDIENTS FOR 6-8 SERVINGS;
For the Shrimp:
2 Lbs. Shrimp
1 Tbs. Good Olive Oil
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
½ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
For the Sauce:
½ C. Chili Sauce
½ C. Ketchup
1 ½ Tbs. Horseradish
2 tsp. Fresh Lemon juice
½ tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
¼ tsp. Tabasco Sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in one layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
For the sauce combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

Barefoot Contessa

It's summer!! My kidos have been participating in our libraries summer reading program. So, we have been to the library weekly. While we were there, I picked up a few cookbooks to check out. I hate buying cookbooks that I have not previewed first. I have bought several only to sit on my shelf and never to be used because they were not my style. Well, I have been very impressed with these cookbooks. Everything that I have made out of them so far have been great. Just thought I would share in case you were looking for a new cookbook.