Love to Cook

Monday, February 20, 2012

Menu Plan 2/20/12 - 3/4/12

Baked Chicken Taquitos - Lightened Up (A Wise Cook)

This recipes is from http://www.awisecook.com/2012/02/baked-chicken-taquitos-lightened-up.html

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (if you use regular yogurt, you will need to strain it)

1/3 cup green salsa

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cilantro

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used boneless, skinless chicken)

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

12-14 flour tortillas (fajita size)

Cooking Spray

Sea Salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl combine greek yogurt, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cilantro. Mix well. Stir in cooked shredded chicken and shredded cheese. *This can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge!

3) Spread about 2 spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) of filling on center of tortilla.

Roll tortilla up as tight as you can (without the filling coming out of the sides)! Place seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

4) Spray top of taquitos generously with cooking spray (I used PAM Canola Oil spray). Sprinkle generously with sea salt.

5) Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the tops should be crisp. Let sit 5-10 minutes before eating.

Makes 12-14 taquitos

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles (Our Best Bites)

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/02/soft-and-chewy-snickerdoodles/

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sugar (12.25 oz), divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter* (not margarine) at room temp
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
*if using salted butter, just omit table salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside. Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Homemade Twix Bars (Thousand Dollar Bars)

SHORTBREAD LAYER

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

CARAMEL LAYER

2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons heavy cream

CHOCOLATE LAYER

3 cups chopped milk chocolate or dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional)

Directions

1) FOR THE CRUST: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a 9" x 13" pan lightly with cooking spray, or line with parchment, and set aside.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. At first the mixture may seem dry, but will come together as you continue to beat at medium speed.

3) Take the dough (it will be somewhat stiff) and press it evenly into the pan. Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking.

4) Prick the crust all over with a fork. The holes will allow steam to escape and the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles.

5) Bake the crust until it's lightly golden brown on top and the edges are deeper golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set it aside to cool completely.

6) FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER: Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

7) FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER: Melt the milk or dark chocolate slowly in a double boiler or over very low heat. If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread to cover all of the caramel. Return to the fridge until the chocolate is well set. Cut into 2" x 2" squares to serve. It's best to store these bars in the refrigerator.

8) These bars can also be cut and dipped in milk chocolate to resemble Twix ® bars. After the caramel layer has chilled firm, cut down the length of the pan, splitting the bars into two long, narrow bars. Then cut each long strip into "fingers". Dip the chilled bars into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set for several hours.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Panera Style (Copykat Recipes)

I can't wait to try this. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. :)

Ingredients:

2 T. Butter, melted
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. all purpose flour
4 c. half and half
4 c. chicken broth
1 lb. fresh broccoli
2 cups, julienned carrots
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 t. nutmeg
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Whisk butter and flour over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add half and half. Add chicken stock, still whisking.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Add broccoli, carrots and onion. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender – about 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup will have thickened by now.

Carefully transfer soup mixture to blender and puree. Return soup to pot (or crockpot) over low heat. Add cheese. Stir until well blended. Add nutmeg right before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sherry’s Aussie Chicken (The Finer Things in Life)

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness (sometimes it’s easier to filet them, instead)
seasoning salt
6 slices bacon, cut in half
¼ cup regular mustard
¼ to 1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese

Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon. ***Do not discard grease.*** Saute chicken in the bacon grease for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Move chicken to a 9×13 pan.

In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo and dried onion flakes. Apply the honey mustard to each breast, then layer with mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done. (Be sure to cut into a breast to see that it is fully cooked before serving to guests who will find raw meat in their main dish. Ask me how I know…)

Serve with honey mustard sauce.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Menu Plan 2/7/12 - 2/20/12

Breakfast:

Bagels
Cinnamon Muffins
Waffles
Cereal

Lunch:

Southwest Rollups http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/05/southwest-roll-ups-money-saving-mom.html
Turkey sandwiches
PB and J
Pizza
Nuggets
Mac and Cheese

Dinner:

2/7/12 - Chalupa Taco's
2/8/12 - Baked Zit http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/02/olive-gardens-five-cheese-ziti.htmli/bread/salad
2/9/12 - Crescent Chicken Bundles http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2012/01/crescent-chicken-bundles-taste-of-home.html/broccoli/rice
2/10/12 - Sienna's B-day Party!!!
2/11/12 - Hotdogs/pasta salad/mac and cheese
2/12/12 - leftovers(lunch)/Chicken Tortilla Soup http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/10/crockpot-chickent-tortilla-soup-miller.html (dinner)
2/13/12 - Baked Shrimp Scampi http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2012/01/baked-shrimp-scampi-ina-garten.html
2/14/12 - Valentine's Day!!!
2/15/12 - Mexcian Pot Pie http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/04/mexican-pot-pie-aimee.html/Mexican Rice/corn
2/16/12 - Dijon Crusted Chicken /veg/rice
2/17/12 - Hot Mess Burgers http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-mess-burger-rachel-ray.html/sweet potato fries
2/18/12 - Pizza
2/19/12 - Tomato Pesto Sandwiches http://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/08/tomato-mozzarella-pesto-paninis.html(lunch)/ French Onion Soup (dinner)