Snickerdoodles

Pic courtesy of Stephanie's Kitchen

It was recently brought to my attention that we don't have a snickerdoodle recipe here. Well, since these are one of my favorite kinds of cookies, I better get posting. I have tried lots of snickerdoodles and these are the best. They are so light and buttery and the cream of tartar gives it that little tang that I adore. Love 'em.

Snickerdoodles
from Stephanie's Kitchen

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in eggs. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
3. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape in to 1 1/2 inch balls and dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake or they will be too crispy. Bake just until light and golden.

Carne Asada!

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!

Hi Everyone! Today's recipe is Carne Asada! This is the reason why I could never give up MEAT! I love Carne Asada! It is so Simple to make and truly delicious! It is also very figure friendly, the meat is grilled so there is almost no fat in it, it is just delicious protein, you can serve it with a bunch of grilled veggies and you don't even have to feel guilty about eating this meat!

Serves 6-8                                                         
Ingredients:
3½ lbs. sirloin steak
3 garlic cloves
1 onion cut in quarters2
2 cubes chicken bouillon seasoning
2 cups Beer
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 cups of water..

In a blender add the water, beer, onion, garlic, chicken cubes, and season with salt and ground black pepper. Blend on high for 2 minutes or until all the ingredients are well combine. Set aside for a moment.

Place the meat in a large container and add in the marinade we made with the beer and the rest of the ingredients.

Marinate for 2 hours or at least 30 minutes.

Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side and that's it!

In my family we serve Carne Asada with grilled Quesadillas, grilled potatoes, grilled onions and grilled Chilacas. (To make the quesadillas: grab a tortilla, top it with cheese and some chorizo, put it on the grill until the cheese is melted and the chorizo is warmed thru. To make the Potatoes: cut the potato in half, add 1 teaspoon of butter, and wrap it in foil, grill for about 6-10 minutes or until cooked. To make the chilaca: stuff the chilaca with Queso Asadero, and grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.)

Feel free to serve this meat with whit rice or re-fried beans. Or just add some salsa and warm tortillas! It goes great with my "Chile de Arbol Salsa!"

Enjoy!
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Recipe for 15-18 servings: Watch the video right HERE!!
Ingredients:
7 lbs. sirloin steak 
5 garlic cloves
2 onion cut in quarters2
3 cubes chicken bouillon seasoning
4 cups Beer
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 cups of water..

(Instructions are the same to serve 6-8.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone! Today's recipe is "Peanut Butter Cookies", these are my husband's favorite cookies, hopefully you like these as much as he does, they are super easy to make, and very delicious, so delicious that you will find me eating the raw dough as I'm making these!  The dough can be frozen for up to 10 days! Have a wonderful day everyone!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder together, set a side for a moment.

In an electric mixer blend the granulated sugar and brown sugar together for about 1 minute or until well combined. Add in the butter and continue to blend at medium
speed until you have a grainy paste. Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time
blend for a bout 30 second after each egg. Scrape down the sides, add in the vanilla extract, blend for about 1 minute at medium speed, then add in the peanut butter, blend on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until you get a fluffy creamy paste. Scrape down the side again, reduce the speed to the lowest, slowly add in the flour a little at a time.

Do not over blend, you just want to bring everything together without over-mixing.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides, add in the peanut butter chips, and using a spatula fold the chips into the batter.

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon the dough onto the baking sheet, leave leave about 1 inch of distance between each spoon to prevent the cookies from sticking together.

Bake at 350ºF for about 18-22 minutes or slightly golden brown.

Enjoy!

Wheat Sandwich Loaf

Christmas before last, my in-laws gave me a pain de mie pan from King Arthur flour. Somehow, I've managed to let it sit in my closet for two years before running it through its paces.

This long, heavy duty pan has a sliding lid and is specifically for making sandwich loaves. It came with a recipe for a soft white bread, but I prefer a wheat loaf. I started trying to think of the best, softest wheat bread I've ever eaten. Hands down, my raisin bread was the winner of that contest. I made a few minor adjustments and now have a wonderful, soft, delicious wheat sandwich bread.

While you can mix this by hand, it is much easier in a stand mixer. It's not the stickiest dough I've ever worked with, but it will never become completely smooth. Resist the urge to add too much flour to reduce the stickiness while kneading. Knead for 5-6 minutes and then place in a covered, oiled bowl to rise until doubled.

Oil the inside of the pan and lid, if using a 13-inch pain de mie pan, or simply oil one 5x8 loaf pans or one 4x13 pan. Spray an little oil on the counter to keep the dough from sticking while you shape it. Punch the dough down on the counter into a rectangle as long as the pan. At this point, at long as you've lubed the counter, this dough is very nice to work with.

To finish shaping the loaf, roll it up and pinch the seam together. Fold over the ends and pinch together to seal. Place seam side down in the pan.

If using the pain de mie pan, close the lid almost all the way. You want to leave yourself a little peek hole. Cover the open end with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough is almost to the top of the pan. Close the lid and let continue rising while the oven preheats. If using standard loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap to rise until double.

If using the pain de mie pan, bake covered at 350° F for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 190° F. If baking in standard pans, bake at 350° F for 35-45 minutes, until the loaf if nicely browned and registers 190° F. Cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then remove from the pan to cool completely before slicing and packaging.

Wheat Sandwich Loaf

Yield: 1 13" loaf

1 TBS instant yeast

2 3/4 to 3 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup defatted soy flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cup warm non-fat milk

Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead for 5-6 minutes. Dump into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double.

Oil a 13-inch pain de mie pan (and lid) or a 5x8 loaf pan or a 4x13 loaf pan. Lightly oil the counter and punch the dough out into a rectangle the width of the pan you are using. Roll the loaf up, pinching the seams. Fold over the ends and pinch together. Place in the pan seam side down. Place the pain de mie lid on a close so that it is only open one inch. Cover the open bit with plastic wrap to keep the loaf from drying out. If using a standard pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double. If using a pain de mie pan, let rise until it is just about touching the lid, close the cover, and then turn on the oven. When the oven is preheated, the loaf should be fully risen.

If using a pain de mie pan, bake, covered, 25 minutes at 350° F. Remove the lid and then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 190° F inside. If using a standard pan, bake until nicely golden and it also registers 190° F. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely before slicing or packaging.

Homemade Vanilla Granola

photo from favfamilyrecipes.com

I am going all granola-ey!  Okay, that was lame.  I love making granola lately.  This makes such a huge batch, it's really moist, and super tasty!

Homemade Vanilla Granola
Recipe from favfamilyrecipes.com

8 c. oats
2 c. sliced almonds
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
craisins or raisins, to taste (optional)
3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
3 Tbsp. vanilla (use the real stuff if you have it-- it tastes much better)

Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Combine first 8 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute then pour over oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are moistened. Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 300-degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave on pans until the granola hardens (it may be a little chewy and that's ok.. if you prefer it not to be chewy at all, allow to dry completely). Break up granola and store in large Ziploc bags or containers. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.

Double Chocolate Mousse Torte

Pic courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I made this for dessert after a Sunday dinner of roast and potatoes. I didn't know quite what I was getting in to with this one- it was a little (just a little) intense, but it was SO worth it. Everyone loved it. Christian even broke his "no sweets" challenge for the night and he probably had like 5 pieces. Mmmm, I wish I had a piece now!
PS- I didn't use Mel's chocolate cake recipe in her original post. My friend told me I needed to try the chocolate cake recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa powder can. Oh my, it was SO moist and delicious. Perfect for this recipe.

Double Chocolate Mousse Torte
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Mousse:
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs, separated at room temperature
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped finely (it is important the chocolate for this mousse layer is chopped finely or it won’t melt completely when added to the warm egg yolks)
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
vanilla to taste

DIRECTIONS:
For cake:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour one 10-in spring-form pan. (I used my Demarle large round mold.)
   
   
2. 2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.
   
   
3. 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover and chill while making mousse.

For mousse:
Melt butter in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk yolks, 1/4 cup cream and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into bowl with melted butter. Whisk constantly over simmering water until thermometer registers 150°F, about 6 minutes (mixture may appear broken – mine did not but it was very thick like custard or pudding). Remove from over water; add chocolate and stir to melt. Set aside. Beat egg whites and 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of cornstarch in large bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Whisk 1/4 of beaten egg white mixture into warm chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining egg white mixture. Pour mousse over the cooled cake in pan; smooth top. Chill torte until mousse is set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen torte. Release pan sides. Transfer torte to platter. Using electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream over torte. Top with whipped cream and some berries if that's your thing.

Vegetarian Tacos

To watch this video recipe please click HERE!

Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday! Today's recipe is another healthy recipe: "Vegetarian Taco", this recipe is full with flavors, and good things for your body, it does have some carbs because I added potatoes to it, but I believe everything is good in moderation. I don't think I could ever go on a no-carb diet, just because I love potatoes and pasta so much, anyway, I read somewhere, that potatoes are good carbs and are high in vitamins and minerals. I combined them with beans, onions, tomatoes, peppers and corn, all in a whole wheat tortilla, and I assure you, they make a perfect meal without the need of any meat. This one is not only healthy but it is also easy and very satisfying! Even if you are a meat-lover, you wont regret eating this Taco! I hope you give it a try! Stay tuned for more Vegetarian Meals, I will be posting new vegetarian recipes at least every other week!

Makes 5-6 tacos (large whole wheat Tortilla)
Ingredients:

1 12oz can Pinto beans (or any other bean you like)
1 11oz can Corn kernels and bell peppers
2 diced red potatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1-2 jalapeno peppers
1 minced garlic clove
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of dry oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
Whole wheat Tortillas (corn or flour tortillas)

Rinse and drain the beans and corn kernels.

In a large skillet, add the water, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, add in the potatoes and cook them on medium high for 5 minutes. Cover the skillet with a lid.

After 5 minutes, the water should be almost gone, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, and the minced garlic, stir and also add the onions, jalapeno peppers, and the tomatoes, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stir fry for about 3 minutes just until the garlic and onion become soft.

After 3 minutes add in the beans and the corn kernels. Season with 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon of dry oregano, taste the flavor and add any salt if needed. Cook for 4-5 minutes just until the beans are heated through.

Heat up the tortillas. Serve the bean mixture over the tortilla, sprinkle with some cheese if you like and enjoy!