Monster Cookies November 9, 2012

These Monster Cookies are nothing more than Mom’s Crispy, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies disguised with an excessively extravagant array of goodies added to the batter. There are no limitations to the possible additions to these cookies. The more the merrier I always say!

These cookies are amazing.

Besides being completely and totally ridiculously delicious, I’m pretty sure they even prevent wrinkles. Or maybe it was aging? I can’t remember now. All I know is… they sure bring out the kid in ya!

These are really good y’all!

Give ’em a try, but please be forwarned… they are frighteningly addictive!

Start by sweetening your butter.

With brown sugar.

And granulated sugar.

Cream until just combined.

Add an egg.

Mix well.

Then add flour.

Soda. Baking soda. Not to be confused with Cola Soda.

Salt.

And mix.

Add vanilla.

Oats.

M & M’s.

Chocolate chips.

Peanut butter chips.

Plenty of nuts.

And mix.

Don’t forget the rice crispies!

There. Now mix it up. It’s the last time, I promise.

And drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet…

and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Here’s the recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies

makes 15 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup M & M’s
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup nuts
1/2 cup rice crispies

Cream together softened butter, sugars and egg. Add vanilla, flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add oats, M & M’s, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and nuts. Give it a stir, then add your rice crispies. Stir just until combined.

Drop walnut-sized mounds of dough on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

Reuben Sandwich November 5, 2012

About a week ago, my then 7-year-old brought home a little booklet he had made at school that was all about him. What he looked like… where he lived…

His favorite things.

Most of the things in his book, I already knew and could easily interpret from his highly detailed drawings.

But this one…

This one was a bit puzzling to me.

What food item is rectangular, red all over and lined with green ruffles?

Big Red gum on a bed of lettuce?

Moldy strawberry jello?

I was completely stumped.

“It’s a reuben sandwich, Momma,” he explained.

“A reuben sandwich?” I replied, still not sure I had heard him right. I can’t even remember the last time I made a reuben sandwich. 2009 maybe? Or was it 1999? Was he even born yet? And what about fried fish? Ribeye steak? Bobcat spaghetti?

“Yeah,” he replied giving me the look I know to be truly, genuinely honest… and pitiful.

Poor kid. All his life I have been feeding him every sandwich under the sun and yet I had only served him his favorite sandwich – favorite food – maybe once in his life.

What kind of mother am I?

So for his birthday…and the second time in his 8 years of life…. I made him a reuben sandwich.

Here’s how I did it:

First I buttered two slices of rye bread on a piece of wax paper.

Then I flipped them over.

And layered on the toppings.

Swiss cheese.

Shaved corned beef that I had purchased at the deli counter.

Sauerkraut which I rinsed and drained per my grandmother’s instructions… so it wouldn’t be too salty. I can’t even tell you whether or not this is a fact because I didn’t want to chance ruining a single sandwich.

A dollop of bottled Thousand Island Dressing, spread evenly over the sauerkraut. Not too much now!

Topped with another slice of swiss cheese and your other slice of bread, which is already buttered on the outside.

Transfer your sandwich to the griddle.

And grill until the cheeses are melted and the rye bread is golden brown.

Then serve it to your 8-year-old for his birthday.

Here’s the short version:

Rye Bread
Butter
Swiss Cheese
Corned Beef
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing

1. Take a slice of rye bread and butter one side, then turn it over, butter side down.

2. On the non-buttered side, layer swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, dressing and swiss cheese. Top with another slice of rye bread, buttered on the outside.

3. Grill both sides of the sandwich until golden brown.

Best Buttermilk Biscuits October 26, 2012

I know. There are a gazillion biscuit recipes out there. But in my book, this recipe is a keeper for the following reasons:

1. They’re delicious.
2. They’re EASY!
3. The recipe is so simple, you can memorize it.

Which is great for those early mornings when you emerge from your bedroom like a blinking mole at first light and your family is sitting at the table banging their knives and forks against the table chanting, “WE WANT FOOD! WE WANT FOOD!”

You’re family doesn’t do that?

Oh.

Well, as a side note, these biscuits are also great for dinner alongside fried chicken, baked chicken, roasted chicken, soupy chicken and just about anything that tastes like chicken. I know because I served these biscuits to my family alongside fried chicken just the other night.

“Momma?” My oldest boy asked, eyeing the steamy biscuit I had just pulled out of the hot pan.

“Hmm?” I replied, admiring the beautiful rise in the pillowy biscuits.

“I don’t like biscuits with sideburns,” he said. “Can I have one out of the middle?”

“Sideburns?” I asked, inspecting my biscuits, visualizing hair growing down the sides of the biscuit like a Chia Pet.

“Ya. The burns on the sides of the biscuits…” he explained. “I like the ones without the sideburns.”

“Oh!” (giggles) “You mean the edge of the biscuit where it was resting against the side of the pan…” (more smiles and giggles… followed by full on belly laughs.)

Here’s how you make ’em:

Start with 2 cups SELF RISING flour. I LOVE self rising flour. It’s basically a mix of all-purpose flour, salt and leavening. You can mix up your own or buy it at the store.

Next, add a stick of cold butter.

Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or two knives…

…until the butter is cut up enough (maybe pea size) to mix well with the flour.

Add 1 cup buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sour 1 cup of whole milk with 1 Tbl. white vinegar or lemon juice to substitute for the buttermilk.

Stir to combine. Your dough will be sticky.

Turn out onto floured surface.

Knead by folding the dough.

And flattening.

And folding…

And flattening.

Knead the dough a couple more times, or until you just work the stickiness out.

Flatten the dough with your hands to about a half-inch in thickness.

Cut the dough into rounds with your biscuit cutter.

Arrange the biscuits in an ungreased baking pan, with the sides touching.

Bake at 450 until golden brown, but not so brown that the biscuits develop side burns, about 12 minutes.

Serve warm with a sliver of butter and a spoonful of homemade peach jam. Or honey. Or plum jelly. Or any kind of jelly, jam or preserves.

Apple butter would be divine.

Here’s the short version:

Best Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes 12 biscuits

2 Cups Self Rising Flour
1 Stick Cold Butter
1 Cup Buttermilk

1. Cut cold butter into flour.
2. Stir in buttermilk.
3. Turn onto floured surface and knead until no longer sticky.
4. Bake at 450 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Cheddar Pear Pie September 7, 2011

When I think of the holidays, I think of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, hot rolls, and every side dish imaginable. And then…

There’s dessert.

I LOVE the variety of desserts around the holidays.

Unfortunately, I’m not always up to the task of preparing said variety. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for quick, satisfying recipes to round out a spectacular holiday meal.

This Simple Cheddar Pear Pie recipe fits the bill.

It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s simple, it’s light, and it’s got 3 of the basic food groups.

Did I mention it’s a cinch?

Forget that the recipe calls for canned pears.

Forget that store-bought pastry can be used in place of the homemade crust.

And let the simple goodness of this recipe shine without telling a single soul!

(For the record, I’ve tried it with fresh pears. And believe me when I say, it’s not worth the extra effort. The end results are hardly noticeable. I do, however, always nestle the filling into a homemade crust. It makes me feel better about serving canned pears.)

Here’t is:
Cheddar Pear Pie
2 (29 ounce) cans pear halves, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
1 Pastry Shell (homemade or store-bought)

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Begin by mixing topping. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, salt, flour and cheese. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Bake unfilled pastry shell about 5 min. in 425 oven. I’ve found that if I don’t bake the crust a bit before adding the filling, it turns out soggy. While crust is baking, drain canned pears in a colander. Slice pear halves into large bowl. Stir in sugar, cornstarch and salt. Dump into the warm pastry shell, top with cheddar crumble topping. Cover edges of crust with foil or pie ring to prevent over browning. Bake at 425 for about 22 minutes or until filling is bubbly and top is done, but not overly browned.

Scrambled Eggs with Wild Onions March 21, 2011

My favorite thing about the arrival of spring is the beginnings of life not only in my garden…

(strawberries)

But also in my pecan grove, aka, my wild garden.

Look closely.

It’s not just grass, weeds and flowers.

It’s also chock full of wild onions.

Daisy loves them just as much as I do.

I stumbled upon this patch of wild onions completely by accident.

It was mid-spring of our first year on the farm and I decided it was time to groom the patch of vegetation down the lane. So I hopped on the mower and powered up the blades. Within a few short minutes of mowing… I found myself weeping.

It was a mixture of tears brought on by an overwhelming aroma of chopped onions and sheer joy. I couldn’t believe that a food item emerged voluntarily on my land.

Would have been nice if It’d emerged in my garden. Or better yet in the planter right outside of my front door. But I’m happy all the same. And the fact that they return year after year, is enough to convince me that they are happy too. And it’s always good to eat happy food.

I think.

Since my chives haven’t fully returned from their long winter’s nap, the wild onions are a perfect substitute.

And the best part of all? They’re free!

My absolute most favorite way to eat them is with scrambled eggs. It’s just not spring until I’ve had my Scrambled Eggs with Wild Onions.

First, crack your eggs in a bowl, like this.

Give them a whirl.

Pour em in a pan with a little butter.

Add the wild onions.

Then plate them up with some toast and fresh fruit!

As the mushrooms get here, I will have myself a bona-fide breakfast omelet.

If only I could get my little cowboys to appreciate the fresh spring flavor…

Inside-Out Chocolate fudge cake March 8, 2011

What do you get when you mix the essence of chewy brownies, moist cake and creamy hot fudge sauce?

You get Inside-Out Chocolate Fudge Cake.

The first time I served this to my husband, he reminded me that we’d had a similar desert in a fancy restaurant many, many years ago. Only I had forgotten because it’s been so long since we’d been to a fancy restaurant. Still to this day, neither of us can remember the restaurant that served this similar dessert. And we no longer care. Because I now have the recipe. And I am going to share it with you.

Inside-Out Chocolate Fudge Cake
Bottom Layer:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons oil, can be vegetable or canola
3/4 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Top Layer:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Tippy Top Layer:
1 3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8×8-inch or 8×11-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the bottom layer, pour into prepared pan. In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the top layer and sprinkle dry mixture over bottom layer. In a measuring cup, measure the hot water for the tippy top layer. Gently pour the hot water over the dry mix, careful not to disturb the dry layer too much.

Bake for 40-45 minutes for 8×8-inch pan or 30-35 minutes for the 8×11-inch pan. Test for doneness by sticking a toothpick no more than 1/2-inch into the cake like topping. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Now the bottom layer is a ooey, gooey hot fudge sauce to pour over your cold ice cream.