lazy blogger

Well....I have kept to my resolution....I'm just having a hard time actually keeping up with the blogging part :) we'll see if I can remember to post my recipes when I get home.

Last night I was reading with my friend Susie and came across a passage I need to keep in mind....pretty much every second of the day...

"We thrive when we are optimistic about the future. When we see failure as personal, pervasive, or permanent, we become paralyzed.
Bottom line: we cannot live the life of our dreams without an irrational sense of destiny.
And all of us have dreams.
More than that, all of us need dreams.
Some of us sadly are just sleeping through them."

chocolate chocolate chip cookies

alright....lets be honest....the world has changed....
this weeks recipe was good old comfort food to share with the co workers

chocolate chocolate chip cookies
1 1/4 cup butter or shortening*
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz choc chips**
1 cup nuts (not for me though friends....but if you must....you must)

*everything i read insists that butter makes the best cookies.....but my dad makes the most amazing cookies...in the world....and he uses good old Crisco.....so while someday I'll test out this "butter is the best" theory....for now I'm sticking with Crisco:)
**i picked milk chocolate...mmmm....but that also means i eat the other half bag in hand fulls throughout the week....so i should stick to semi sweet:) both work for the cookies!

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well -- combine flour, cocoa, salt and soda. I sifted this into mixture. Stir in chips (and nuts). drop onto greased sheet and bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes.

chocolate cookies are tricky since you can't really tell when the edges are browning....i just watch for cracks in the top and then remove immediately. Cookies will continue to bake once removed from the oven (for a little while) this way the cookies aren't overcooked and are nice and chewy.

They did their job and helped the coworkers forget current troubled times.....for just a little bit. cookies always have a way of working things out:)

chicken enchiladas

This week is enchilada week....mmmm

enchiladas
1 small green bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8-10 corn tortillas
2 chicken breasts
additional sour cream, cheese and chopped green onions

Heat the oven to 350. Cut the bell pepper in half and cut out seeds and membrane. Chop enough of the bell pepper to measure 1/3 cup. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and chop the onion; set aside.



Cook 2 chicken breasts and either shred or chop. I just cooked mine on the George Foreman while i got everything else together.


In a medium bowl, mix the bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin and tomato sauce; set aside. In a large bowl, mix the onion, Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and pepper.


Place tortillas between two plates and microwave for about 30 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup of cheese mixture down one side of each softened tortilla to within 1 inch of edge. Roll tortilla around rilling; place seam side down in an ungreased 11x17 inch glass baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese mixture.


Pour the tomato sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with additional sour cream and chopped green onions.


This was very simple and turned out very good. add some corn chips and some renfros salsa and there you have it...2 down....50 to go! i'm really enjoying this foodie business:)

recipe compliments of:

chicken enchiladas: Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

fettuccine alfredo...AND homemade noodles

maybe this is an oldie....but I've never made it before so it counts. i also have to say i was on a very strict budget this week....and picked the recipe because the only ingredient i needed to buy was the whipping cream. AND since i felt bad it seemed a little too simple...i decided to try out my noodle press for the very first time.

homemade pasta

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried basil or sage (i used basil)

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon cooking oil or olive oil

In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of flour, the basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well int eh center of the flour mixture. In a small bowl beat eggs; add water and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine.

Sprinkle a clean kneading surface with the remaining 1/3 cup flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into four balls and begin to run the dough through the pasta press. I started with the thickest setting and turned the knob down each time...from 7 down to 3 since i was going for a fettuccine type pasta. every third time i passed the dough through the press i lightly floured it so it wouldn't stick together as i moved on. Once all the dough was at the right thickness i let it rest again for about 20 minutes and got the alfredo sauce started.

alfredo sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

chopped fresh parsley

In a saucepan, heat the butter and whipping cream over low heat, stiffing constantly, until butter is melted. Stir in cheese, salt and dash of pepper until mixture is smooth. with the sauce on low heat i went back to cut the pasta dough and then boil it. Since it's homemade it only takes about 2 minutes to cook.

Once pasta is cooked (tender not mushy) I drained it and added it to the saucepan and mixed in the alfredo sauce. Thats it! I also added a bit of parsley i chopped up from the herb garden i planted earlier this year and tah dah! first recipe of the year is finished!

recipes compliments of:

alfredo sauce: Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

homemade pasta: Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

becoming a foodie in 2009

My new years resolution for 2009 is to expand on the four or five recipes I have learned to cook with confidence. The plan is to cook/bake a new recipe every week this year. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have a better understanding of ingredients and techniques...and will be able to add and subtract from the recipes I'm exploring. For now though...I'll be using the cookbooks i got for Christmas....and following the directions....and crossing my fingers that everything turns out right:) Wish me luck! I'm very excited to see what happens.