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So I want to start this new year by apologizing for slacking on the food blog. I find myself getting overwhelmed when I think of how many recipes I've let slide without posting them to share. My blog resolution? To post at least 4 recipes per month. Think I can do it? I'll do my best...

But for now I want to share with you my system (because, after all, you may want a system of your own...) As many of you know, I subscribe to two of my most favorite food magazines, Cooking Light and Taste of Home Healthy Cooking. At my leisure and sometimes quite procrastinatorily (I think I just made that up...) I sit down and read each one and pull out recipes that I think I'd like to try. I file them away in an accordion file with headings like "Main Dishes" "Side Dishes" "Desserts" and "Drinks." Then when I sit down to do my weekly grocery shopping I pull out a few new recipes and make my shopping list. It keeps things interesting at mealtime for sure. And fortunately I have a loving and supportive husband who enjoys my kitchen theatrics and the fruits of my labor. But as you can see, I've been falling behind and for the last few months have fallen back on my "easy" meals, not feeling the motivation to keep up with the trend.

I'm feeling it now :) Watch out, here they come...

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Banana Cream Pie is a tasty dessert. I won't deny that (if partly for fear of the angry looks from my husband who deems it his all-time favorite.) But when I decided to throw a surprise party for my dear husband's 30th birthday, I knew a banana cream pie wouldn't feed our 10 guests. In an effort to find another palate pleaser, I ran across this amazing recipe. I could barely believe the moistness, the flavor, the look... the perfect party dessert.

A couple of slight alterations to the published recipe (from Cooking Light.) I added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the cake batter after reading in reviews that the almond flavor was too weak. I also added the fresh raspberries to the top for a visual appeal and opted to drizzle the sauce over the entire cake rather than each individual piece.

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I held off on posting this recipe for two reasons. First, I accidentally altered the recipe when I made them for myself. The recipe was passed on to me from a good friend at work who received it from a friend of hers. "You will LOVE these cookies!" was proof enough that I needed to try them right away. So I quickly scanned over the recipe and got to work. It wasn't until the first batch came out of the oven that I glanced again at the recipe and thought "oh good grief... 1/2 cup of butter?? I put TWO sticks in there!!" Fortunately for me, I also only had 3/4 cup peanut butter left in the jar instead of the 1 1/4 cups the recipe called for. I figure the 1/2 cup of butter just replaced the 1/2 cup of peanut butter (fair trade, right?) The result (having tried both recipes now) is a slightly thinner (yet, tastefully chewy) cookie with a hint of peanut butter taste (instead of overpowering.) The other slight alterations resulted from the lack of ingredients found in my pantry. I figure it was a lucky mistake since the result was probably one of the best cookies I've ever tasted.

The second reason I held off on posting was because the cookies were gone before I could take a decent picture and I hate posting recipes without an accompanying photo. But alas, the demands were too great to hold off any longer :) So here you go Steph, this one's for you ;)


Monster Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp light karo syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup flour
1 cup plain m&ms
1/2-3/4 cup mini (or regular) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter with sugars on medium speed of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Add vanilla and karo syrup; mix until combined. Add salt and baking soda. Add oats and flour and mix until combined. Stir in m&ms and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonful (I used a medium sized cookie scoop), 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pans for 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely.

ENJOY!!

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So this is the first post that will not have an accompanying photo. I know... scandalous. The food was eaten so fast I didn't have a chance to capture the right opportunity. But I had to post the recipe anyway because it's incredibly easy, fast, and loved by 5 children and 2 adults (with a doubled recipe.) I served it on top of warm soba noodles with a side of steamed snow peas and carrots. (I also omitted the chile paste to remove the spiciness.)


Mongolian Beef

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chile pasted with garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peanut oil (or sesame oil)
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
16 medium green onions, chopped

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, garlic and beef; saute for 2 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Add green onions; saute 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook one minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Yield: 4 servings.

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I made this "casserole" as a side dish to accompany a grilled flank steak dinner and it was definitely a winner. The kids cleaned their plates, Joe was full of compliments and the leftovers didn't last long. A little time consuming but worth it in the end. The flavors were fantastic.


Bacon-Potato Bake

8 cups thinly sliced peeled red potatoes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water and bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour, eggs, sour cream, 1 tablespoon butter and salt. Spoon over potatoes and toss to coat. Place half of the potato mixture in a greased 2-qt baking dish; top with half of the cheese and half of the bacon crumbles. Repeat layers.

Toss bread crumbs with remaining butter; sprinkle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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These cookies are an absolute "must-try" for anyone who loves coconut, especially in combination with chocolate. I altered a recipe I found to fit the way I thought they should be and this is the fantastic results!! Joe was not a big fan but he's hard to please when it comes to cookies. I, on the other hand, could have eaten the entire batch myself but had to have some self restraint...


Coconut Kisses

1/3 cup butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in 3 cups coconut. Cover and refrigerate one hour or until easy to handle.

Roll into 1-inch balls and roll in the remaining coconut. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press an indentation in each cookie with a small measuring spoon. Fill each indentation with 4-5 chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes to melt. Swirl chocolate with toothpick and remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

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