Crisp Almond Cookies

1½ cups butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps. vanilla extract

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking power

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped almonds

Cream together butter and sugars, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add in eggs and vanilla and beat again.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to dough, one third at a time until all added. Stir in almonds.

Using a small cookie scoop, place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet three inches apart (these cookies spread.) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-9 minutes. Until edges turn golden.

Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely.

This recipe can be found here.

Turtle Bars

crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

caramel:

1 cup butter

1½ cups brown sugar

3 Tbsp. corn syrup

plus:

2 cups of chopped pecans

2 cups of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Butter a 9X13 inch pan. (These squares tend to stick so butter it up good.)

Combine ¾ cup softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 2 cups flour: mix well. Pour the mixture into 9X13 pan and press down evenly to form the crust.

Sprinkle 2 cups chopped pecans over the top of the crust and press them in a bit. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup butter, 1½ cups brown sugar and 3 Tbsp. corn syrup to a boil and boil for one minute.

Pour over crust in pan and bake at 350 ° for 20 minutes.

Take out of the oven and sprinkle 2 cups of milk chocolate chips over the top. Let sit about 5 minutes and then spread softened chips to cover.

Allow ample cooling time before you enjoy!

This recipe can be found here.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb. chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

¼ c. white flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ c. olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 c. apple or white grape juice

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1½ c. chicken broth

¼ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. marjoram

½ tsp. salt

1 bay leaf

1 c. sliced mushrooms (or more if you love them. Mushrooms are divine in this dish!)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil (you don’t have to go crazy here, a little olive oil never killed anyone!), and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Sauté until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Turn off the heat under the oil.

While chicken is draining, add juice, vinegar, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer for 90 minutes. When you have about 15 minutes to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta.

This recipe can be found here.

Fudgy BonBons

1 cup chocolate chips

¼ cup margarine

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups flour

½ cup finely chopped nuts

1 tsp vanilla

60 kisses, unwrapped

Melt chips and margarine in saucepan, stirring until melted and smooth.  Add milk; mix well.

In a bowl, combine flour, nuts, chocolate mix and vanilla. Mix well.  Let cool.

Shape 1 Tbsp dough around each kiss, covering completely.

Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 6 – 8 minutes.

Cookies will be soft and shiny.  DO NOT over bake.  Remove and cool.

White Chicken Chili

1 Tbsp. extra virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed (about 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts)

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans Great Northern Beans

1 3.5 oz. can green chilies

½ tsp. each cumin, oregano, coriander and salt

fresh cracked pepper

1 lime

½ cup chopped cilantro

16 - 32 oz chicken broth (less if you want it thick, more if you want it soupy)

Condiments: (in addition to measurements above)

Sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded pepper jack or Jack cheese, avocado and/or tortilla chips

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside. 

Sprinkle chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper; add to pot. Add garlic as well. Cook until there’s no more visible pink on the chicken, probably 3-4 minutes.

Then add green chills- along with all of the juices in the can. Add beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper. Stir to combine and then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream. Serve with condiments.

Makes about 8 cups of soup.

This recipe can be found here.

Holiday Quinoa Salad

2 cups water or chicken broth

1 cup uncooked quinoa

½ cup crumbled feta

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

½ cup chopped green onions

½ cup dried cranberries

zest of 1 orange

citrus dressing

Bring water or chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa and cover with a tight fitting lid.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, allow to stand 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and chill.

Toss chilled quinoa, feta, pecans, green onions, cranberries and orange zest together.

Drizzle dressing over the mixture and then toss quickly to combine.  Serve cold.

Citrus Dressing

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

10 cracks black pepper

1 tsp. creole seasoning

Whisk ingredients together.  If possible refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

This recipe can be found in Our Best Bites: Savor the Seasons

Almond Toffee Sandies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 tsp. almond extract

4½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sliced almonds

1 package (8 ounces) toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in oil and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds and toffee bits.

Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 9 dozen.

This recipe can be found here.

Chipotle Chocolate Chili

1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 14.5-oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can beef broth

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

½ tsp. Kosher salt

Chipotle sauce (from a 7 oz. can of chipotle chilies)

½ oz. unsweetened chocolate (1/2 unsweetened baking cube), chopped (optional; use to taste as needed; be careful, because too much will make your chili bitter)

3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Sour cream, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey or beef until meat is cooked through.

Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, tomatoes, beans, and beef broth. Add all of the chipotle sauce from the can of chipotle chilies. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until thickened as desired (I like it about 30-40 minutes).

If desired, add some chopped chipotle chilies. Add 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time until desired richness is reached. If necessary, add more red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness of the chili. This is where you can play around a little with the flavors.

When thickened and seasoned as desired, serve with green onions, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

This recipe can be found here.

Black Bean Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

¾ cup diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)

¾ cup diced celery (about 2 ribs)

1 cup diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3.5oz can green chilies

2 cans low-sodium beef broth

1 t kosher salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat.  When pan is warm, add olive oil.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup. 

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters. 

Puree soup until completely smooth.  Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.  Makes about 8 cups soup.

This recipe can be found here.

Creamy Corn Chowder

2 Tbsp. butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup water

2½ cups milk

2 tsp. chicken base

½ lb. bacon (optional)

1 small onion, minced

2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn

Salt and pepper to taste

A few dashes of hot sauce

Fry bacon until crisp.

In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball. Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps.

Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to a simmer.

Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but don’t boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through. Add a few drops of hot sauce and then salt to taste.

Start with about ¼ tsp. salt, give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and/or cheese if you want. Serves 6-8.

This recipe can be found here.