Grapefruit and Fennel Salad

I made this Robin Miller (Food Network) recipe yesterday for dinner. It was SO good. Really unique and refreshing. I used pink grapefruit instead of oranges.

Orange and Fennel Salad

Robin Miller

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 medium oranges, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

Place the sliced fennel in a salad bowl. Slice oranges to divide flesh sections and add to bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper. Toss, top with sweetened cranberries and serve.

Indian Butter Chicken

This was a super easy good recipe in the crock pot from 365 days of crock pot cooking blog (http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html)

I thought it could use a little more spice, but Matt loved it as is.

Indian Butter Chicken

-crockpot365.blogspot.com
The Ingredients.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (mine were frozen solid)
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 T butter
15 cardamom pods (sewn together!)
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end, I used fat free)

The Directions.

Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot. Carefully sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread. You can put them in a little cheese cloth bundle, instead, if you have that in the house. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion, garlic, and all of the dry spices. Plop in the butter and tomato paste. Add lemon juice and coconut milk. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked.

Stir in plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with white or brown basmati rice.

Hot Wings

I've made these wings for several parties. They're always a hit!

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

Rated: Allrecipes.com

oil for deep frying 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup hot sauce 1 dash ground black pepper 1 dash garlic powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 10 chicken wings

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
2.	In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
3.	Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

Mom's cinnamon rolls

My mom's cinnamon rolls are legendary! I opt for vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon in my frosting instead of maple.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Scald 2 cups milk

Add: 1/4 c. oil

1/4 c sugar

After this has cooled and add:

2 T yeast

1/2 c lukewarm water

Now add: 2 eggs

6 cups flour

Mix all these ingredients together for 4 min. Add more flour if necessary. Knead until not too sticky not too dry. . Set aside, and let rise until double. Roll out onto floured board, or cloth. Brush with butter, and sprinkle with

1/2 c br. sugar 1/2 c white sugar

lots of cinnamon nuts, or raisins optional

Roll up, cut into 3/4-1 inch rolls. Place on sprayed pan. Let rise for 30 min, or until doubled. Bake at 325 for 15 min, or until done.

Topping

1 box powdered sugar 2 T butter melted

1 t vanilla flavoring 1 t maple flavoring

a little warm milk. just enough to make the topping melt together, like smooth paste.

Mahi Mahi with mango salsa

I made this Rachel Ray recipe last week. Really light & refreshing.

Mahi Mahi Steaks with Mango Salsa

- Rachel Ray

Ingredients

Mahi Mahi:

• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 (8-ounce, 1 1/2-inch thick) portions mahi mahi steak
• A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Salsa:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, grated or minced
• 1/4 seedless (European or English) cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 20 blades fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 lime, juiced

Directions

Preheat grill pan or indoor electric grill to high heat. Squeeze juice of 1 lime over fish. Drizzle steaks with a little oil and rub oil into fish to coat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks 5 minutes on each side on hot grill.

To assemble salsa, combine all ingredients for salsa in a small bowl.

Bow tie Chicken Caesar Salad

I made this salad from a blog my friend contributes to called 24 hour menu. It was a very light and flavorful salad. It would be perfect in the Summer time.

Bow tie Chicken Caesar Salad
2 head romaine lettuce chopped
2 chicken breasts grilled and sliced
1 box of bow tie pasta cooked and cooled
sliced carrots
cucumber cubed
cherry tomatoes
sliced avocado
1 can drained and sliced hearts of palm, (can be found in specialty aisle and so delicious)
yellow peppers
Parmesan cheese

**anything else that sounds good**

Toss all together and serve with creamy Caesar and balsamic vinaigrette. And of course fresh bread. Tonight's case was buttermilk biscuits and strawberry jam.

Balsamic Dressing
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
tad of oregano
Blend at full speed in blender or food processor

Creamy Caesar
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 pressed or minced garlic cloves
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Blend at full speed in blender or food processor

This is a family favorite. SO good and so comforting. I served it with the no knead bread I posted about previously with chopped rosemary in it. Yum!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 Whole Chicken

Boil with a few vegetables to flavor the soup. I usually use celery, onions & carrots + 2 t salt. Bring the chicken to a boil & then let simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. Remove chicken and debone, chop & set aside in fridge while you make the noodles. Keep the broth simmering. My mom use to blend the veggies in the broth so we wouldn't pick out the veggies. I haven't had to do that yet. You can add bouillon if you want more flavor.

Noodles

2 c flour 2 eggs

1/2 t salt 4 egg shells of water

Put flour and salt in a bowl, add eggs and water and stir until well mixed. Dump out on floured surface and roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut strips of the dough and put them in the simmering broth. Continue until all the noodles are in & add the chicken & let simmer for about 5 mins.

Indian Food

One of Matt's co-workers sent him home with an Indian feast a couple of days ago. It was SO delicious. So I didn't have to cook and was treated to a delicious feast! He made curry, rice a potato dish and bread. I hope he will share the recipe.

Sri-Lankan Curry

8 Chicken Thighs – Skinned

2 Large Onions – Finely chopped

4 Green Chillies - Chopped

2 Tsp Fennel Seeds

2 Tbs Tomato puree

1.5 Tbs curry powder

12 Curry Leaves

1 Tsp salt

2 Cloves of Garlic - Chopped

1 Inch sized piece of ginger - Chopped

1 Tsp Lemon Juice

Vegetable Oil

Fry the onions and chillies for 2 minutes

Add the fennel seeds and curry leaves and fry onions until golden.

Add chicken and cover for 2 minutes

Add tomato puree and curry powder and cook for 2 minutes covered.

Add 1 cup of water and cover and cook for at least 40 minutes.

Before serving add the Garlic and Ginger and Lemon juice and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Second curry

8oz Chopped tomatoes ( or use one regular can of diced Tomatos)

4 Skinless chicken breast – cubed

2 Medium onions – finely chopped

2 Cloves of garlic- finely chopped

1 Inch sized piece of ginger – finely chopped

2 Green chillies – chopped

1 Tsp Turmeric powder

0.5 Tsp Chilli powder

2 Tsp Cumin seeds

1 Tsp salt

0.25 cup of Vegetable oil

2 Tbs Madras or Jalfrezi curry paste

10 Curry Leafs chopped (Optional)

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When crackling add the chopped onion and fry until golden. Add ginger and garlic and after 2 minutes add the turmeric, chilli, salt.

After 2 minutes add the curry paste mix well then add the tomatoes.

Mix well and add the chicken and chillies after 5 minutes add 2 cups of water, cover and allow to simmer for at least 40 minutes.

Valentine's Day treats

Add Valentine M&M's to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Or use your old Christmas candy canes by putting them on parchment paper in the shape of a heart, put them in a 350 degree oven until the start to just melt, pull them out and wrap the bottom around a lolli-pop stick.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
See this recipe on air Thursday Oct. 05 at 7:00 PM ET/PT.


Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies
User Rating: 5 Stars


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.
Cream the butter in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.
Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

I made this bread pudding with left over carrot/currant and apple no-knead bread (see previous post). I think this is the best bread pudding I've made & I think it's all about the bread!

The recipe is from Better Homes and Garden

Bread Pudding

4 eggs
2 1/4 c milk
1/2 c sugar
1 T vanilla
1 t shredded orange peel (I didn't use since my bread was already flavored)
1/2 t cinnamon
4 c dry bread cubes
1/3 c dried cherries, cranberries or raisins
1 recipe caramel sauce (recipe below)

In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel and cinnamon. In an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish (I used a 9 x 13) toss together bread cubes and dried fruit. Pour egg mixture over bread. Press mixture lightly into pan with the back of a large spoon. Bake, uncovered for 40-45 mins at 350 degrees until puffed and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and then top with caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c water
1 T cornstarch
1/3 c half and half or cream or light cream
2 T light corn syrup
1 T butter
1/2 t vanilla

Put all ingredients except vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour over the pudding.

Lime Chicken and No Fail rice

This recipe is from my cousins the Taylors. It's really really good. I always use half the amount of butter called for. Matt calls this rice cheesy rice even though there is no cheese in it. It's just creamy & yummy.


LIME CHICKEN

10,000.00 winner in cooking contest --From Taylors

6 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cube butter

Juice of lime

1/2 t dill

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. Cook chicken breasts in butter until just done. Remove chicken from skillet and remove skillet from heat. Squeeze juice of lime into drippings remaining in pan and stir. Sprinkle dill in the glaze and serve. This dish takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and is delicious. Serve with no fail rice.

NO FAIL RICE

Preheat oven to 375

1/4 c butter

1/2 c onions chopped

1 c long grain rice

2 c chicken broth

Sauté onions in butter until transparent. Add rice and stir until well coated. Put in a casserole dish and add 2 cups of boiling chicken broth. Cover and bake 20 - 25 min.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

Yes you read that right, German Chocolate Cheesecake! OOOHHH so rich and delicious! I found this recipe on Bake or Break's blog a long time ago and have been waiting to try it. It's awesome! I put parchment paper in my springform pan to make the cheesecake easier to get out.

German Chocolate Cheesecake
October 15th, 2009 · No Comments

Read and see more at Bake or Break. Recipe from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake.
Cheesecake

* 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons corn starch
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2/3 cup heavy cream



Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside and the sides of the pan with aluminum foil.

Using a mixer on low speed, beat 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch until creamy (about 3 minutes). Add remaining cream cheese, 8 ounces at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each. On medium speed, beat in remaining 1 cup of sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in cream just until blended. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into the springform pan. Place pan in a large shallow pan of hot water. Water should come about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake about 1 & 1/4 hours, unitl the edges are light golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan.

Remove pan from water bath and transfer to a wire rack. cool in pan for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 4 hours. Place in freezer overnight until ready to assemble the cake.
German chocolate cake

* 1 & 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 ounces German sweet chocolate
* 1/3 cup water
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs, separated
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar



Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of both pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Melt chocolate in water in the microwave and set aside to cool. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer. The mixture should be light yellow and creamy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in melted chocolate and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, blending well after each.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold about a third of the whites into the chocolate batter, then the remaining whites.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn onto a cooling rack and peel off paper liners. Let cakes cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Coconut frosting

* 1 & 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
* 4 cups flaked coconut, plus extra for sprinkling
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract



Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toast until golden, about 5 minutes, tossing a couple of times. Set aside to cool.

Toast 1/4 cup of coconut in the same way. Set aside.

Mix sugar and flour in a large saucepan. Add cream, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted nuts and untoasted coconut. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, until thick enough to spread.
Cake assembly

Remove the cheesecake from freezer and let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Place one chocolate cake layer, top side down, on a cake plate. Spread with some of the frosting. Remove the springform ring from the cheesecake. Place cheesecake top side down on the forsted cake layer. Spread with frosting. Top with remaining chocolate cake layer, top sie up, and frost the top of the cake and the sides of only the top cake layer with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle top with toasted coconut. Refrigerate at least two hours until ready to serve. Cut cake with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated knife.

Leftover cake can be covered and refrigerated, or wrapped and frozen for up to a month.

More bread!

You seriously must try this bread!! http://kerstinskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/incredible-no-knead-bread.html

I just made some carrot/currant and apple bread using this same technique. You just substitute carrot juice or apple juice for the water and add currants or apples depending on which bread you're making. & I'm making more pizza and attempting a pizza bread as I type this!

Mexican French Toast

This is my mom's recipe and it a family favorite. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome these are. Just try them! I cut these into strips for a brunch, but we usually have them for breakfast or dinner whole. I usually plan on 2 per person.

Mexican French Toast
Diana Morris

1 dozen flour tortillas
1 dozen eggs
2 dozen strips of bacon cooked
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 c green onions, chopped
4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream
salsa
guacamole (I make it with just avocados, a little salsa, garlic powder and fiesta fajita seasoning)

Beat the eggs in a pie pan. Cook each tortilla individually by dipping it in the egg mixture on both sides and then cooking it in a saute pan or on a flat griddle. Once you've turned the tortilla over in the pan, on the cooked side put 2 strips of bacon a little bit of green onion & cheese. Then fold the sides in and set aside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, eggs, onions & cheese until all done. Serve with salsa, guac, tomatoes & sour cream.

Coq au Creme

I made this for dinner this past Sunday. It was SO good. It's a little bit of work, but worth it. My friends and I made this dish for a murder mystery dinner when we were in the singles ward. It was one of the first times Matt and I hung out. When he was eating this on Sunday he said he knew he was in love when he tried this that night. Very sweet. I haven't made it since that murder mystery dinner & I have no idea why, it's super good. Instead of adding the flour and water mixture I just let it simmer uncovered until it thickened.

Coq au Creme
www.allrecipes.com

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 (4.5 ounce) cans sliced
mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) container sour
cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions
1 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion
and garlic and saute until slightly clear, then reduce
heat to medium low (careful not to burn, but browning is okay).
2 Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in another large
skillet over medium high heat. Rinse chicken breasts and pat
dry; season with salt and pepper to taste and brown on both
sides, about 2 minutes each side.
3 Drain and add browned chicken breasts to onion/garlic
mixture, then add rosemary, mushrooms and chicken broth. Stir
to mix together, making sure chicken breasts are evenly
spaced in the skillet. Reduce heat to simmer, cover skillet
tightly and cook for 30 minutes.
4 Add sour cream and stir well, breaking up any clumps
with a spoon. Cover skillet again and allow to heat through
for 10 minutes.
5 Strain about 3/4 cup of the liquid from the skillet
into a small bowl; add flour and mix well with a fork to
break up any clumps. Pour mixture into the chicken mixture,
stir well and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 more
minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.

Crustless Quiche

Matt really likes quiche, but he doesn't like the crust (weird, I know), so when I found this recipe on allrecipes.com I knew I had to try it. It was super good and very easy. I used fresh baby spinach that I sauteed with the onions instead of frozen.

Crustless Spinach Quiche


www.allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained

5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Bluberry Muffins

I made these muffins from Sister's Cafe last week for a brunch. They were really good.

Grandma's Blueberry Lemon Muffins
submitted by Brittany

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening (or butter*)
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra - you can try cutting it down if you want):
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs, milk and shortening. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins. *I substitute butter because I love the taste! It works great either way.

Bread everywhere!

I've turned my kitchen into a bakery!! Seriously, I've always wanted to learn how to make bread and this book Matt got me by Jim Lahey has changed my life!! I blogged about it a few posts ago. In the past week I've made 4 regular round loaves of bread, a kalamata olive loaf, baguettes and a pizza bread! Really he teaches you how to let the bread make it self, you just mix for about 20 second and give it a lot of time to rise and do it's thing. I'm seriously so amazed.

The recipe I posted previously is one I saw online, but it's a little different than his in the book, so I will repost the correct recipe soon. If anyone is interested in learning his technique please let me know. I'm happy to share this new found joy!!

Almost Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies

I'm learning to adjust being a mom to 3 kids, but some days are just nuts! Madeline wanted to make cookies a few days ago, so I decided to try this peanut butter sandwich cookie from Our Best Bites blog that I've been wanting to try for a long time. I started making them at 11 am & by 6 pm I finally had all the cookies baked and the filling was not even started. It was a crazy day of going from one crying child to the next. So I decided to nix the filling. The cookies were delicious as is. Someday I will try again and make the filling!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Click to print text only

1 C butter flavored Crisco
1 C creamy peanut butter (preferably the kind without salmonella)
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

filling:
1 C creamy peanut butter
1/2 c real butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
5-6 T milk

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add in vanilla, and eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to dough. Mix to combine. The dough will be very soft- that's normal!

You know the drill. Roll into balls, roll in sugar, place on cookie sheet (no need to grease it) and do the little forky criss-cross thing.

Okay, so pop the cookies into the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes. You want them to say super soft, so don't let them get brown. In my oven, and for the size of cookies I do, 6 minutes exactly is perfect. Remove them from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Crockpot peppercorn steak

I tried this steak recipe from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. It was easy and delicious. I'm starting to really appreciate what you can make in a crockpot!

Peppercorn Steak

--4 to 6 steaks (use whatever is on sale, it's going to tenderize nicely in the crock; don't buy expensive meat.)
--1 cup tomato sauce
--1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea Perrins is GF)
--1/4 cup of water
--2 chopped bell peppers (I used one yellow, one green)
--1 chopped yellow onion
--8 oz sliced mushrooms
--1 T Italian seasoning
--1/4 t black pepper

The Directions.

Put the meat in the crockpot; mine was still frozen solid. Cover with the chopped vegetables. Pour in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and water. Add the Italian seasoning and black pepper.

No need to stir.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6.