My Cooking Adventures

These are great for chocolate lovers. Plus the sugar on top makes them look like they'll just melt-in-your-mouth! (and they do!)

Chocolate Crinkles

From: Better Homes & Garden
Yields: 48 cookies

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sifted powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs, granulated sugar, chocolate, oil, baking powder, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill dough for 1 to 2 hours or until easy to handle.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar to coat generously. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are crackled. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. If desired, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.

Nutrition Facts (per cookie):
81 cal, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 13 mg chol., 21 mg sodium, 11 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 1 g pro.
Daily Values: 2% calcium, 3% iron

The gravy didn't work out so well for me when I made this dish last night, so I ended up with just plain seasoned pork chops. I think I had too much olive oil (I added about a tablespoon more to help with the frying). Next time I might try draining some of the olive oil and see if that helps.

Smothered Pork Chops

From: Tyler Florence on Food Network

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies

From: Better Homes & Gardens Bridal Edition
Yields: about 36 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated Sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle.

2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional granulated sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten by making crisscross marks with the tines of a fork. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Nutrition Facts (per cookie):
87 cal, 5 g total fat (2 g saturated), 12 mg chol., 70 mg sodium, 10 g carbo., 0 g fiber, 2 g pro.
Daily Values: 2% vit. A, 1 % calcium, 2% iron

This is a great pork chop recipe if you're looking for something new and full of flavor! I have been discovering the great flavor that beer adds to food. It seems to bring a certain sweetness and moistness to whatever you cook it with. So when I saw this recipe for pork chops on BakeSpace, I knew I had to try it out! (Sorry, no picture; my camera battery went dead! I promise a picture next time!)

Beer Baised Pork Chops
From: tango

4 boneless chops 1/4" thick (or bone in)
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 C. chopped green onions (or regular) (I used regular)
2 garlic cloves, pressed (or minced)
8 oz. Mushrooms, sliced (fresh or canned) (I omitted these)
1/2 tsp. Thyme
8 oz. Beer, room temp. (I used Bud Light)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Flour chops. Melt butter and oil together in a skillet over med. high heat. Brown chops quickly on both sides. Remove and keep warm. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme and saute an additional min. Return chops to skillet, add beer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 7 to 8 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

While my sisters were in town, they wanted to see just how great and wonderful my KA mixer really was. So I went online, and found a great cupcake recipe, plus a delicious sounding frosting recipe, both from Bakespace. We had a lot of fun making the cupcakes; so much fun, I forgot to take pictures! So included the picture from the orginal recipe creator. They were delicious, and I will definitely make them again soon!



Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

From: lildoughgirl




1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease and flour 2-12 cup muffin pans. (I don't recommend liners for these cupcakes)


2. In a large bowl, beat sugar, canola oil, eggs and vanilla for 4 minutes.


3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


4. Add flour mixture alternately with boiling water to the sugar mixture. Beat well after each addition.


5. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until cupcakes springs back to the touch. Let cool completely before frosting with your favorite chocolate frosting.





Rich Chocolate Cream Frosting

From: cookandbottlewasher


Source of Recipe: Toll House Heritage Cookbook 1980


1- 12 oz. package (2 cups) Nestle Semi Sweet Chocolate pieces
2 T. Milk
1 - 8 oz. Cream Cheese (room temp.)
1 t. Vanilla
1/2 t. Salt
3-1/4 C. Confectioners' Sugar


Directions:
Melt chocolate pieces with milk in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 25 seconds and then stir. Continue until melted and smooth. Let cool for just a bit. Add chocolate to softened cream cheese, vanilla and salt in larger bowl; beat well. Beat in sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth... Makes 3 cups frosting :)

One weekend all three of my sisters (all younger) decided on a whim to come and stay with me, before they had to go back to school. I wanted to have something for us to snack on while we were all hanging out, watching TV and movies, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing anything. I went to Kraft Foods' website for help, and found this awesome dip recipe. There's many variations, depending on what you have available in your fridge/pantry. The recipe is located here. I used the following ingredients:

Last Minute Hot Dip



8 oz Cream Cheese, soft
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices of turkey bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped pecans



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayo, and bacon pieces together in a 9-inch pie plate or ovenproof 3-cup serving dish until well blended.

Bake 15 minutes, stirring after 8 minutes.

Top with toasted nuts. Serve warm with crackers, bread slices, or veggies.

My neighbor and I came up with our own little hamburger concoction one night that turned out to be the best burgers we'd all ever had!

*There's no picture because I didn't think to take one last night. They look like normal burgers, but they taste like heaven!

Really Good Burgers

2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup Barbecue sauce
2 slices of bread, torn into pieces (we used whole wheat bread, and cut off the crusts)
2 Tbsp Tony C's spice
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Prepare a charcoal grill.

Mix all of the above together in a bowl, using hands. Patty out burgers, round in shape, about an inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Place on grill for about 5-6 minutes per side. Sprinkle each burger with Tony C's right after placing on the grill, and immediately on other side after flipping. Once removed from grill, let cool for about one minute. Serve with trimmings of choice!