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Category Archives: Recipes

Fall Favorites

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Veronica

I see the bigger bloggers doing this, rounding up their recipes into a category, such as fall, to guide their readers back to the oldies but goodies.  I thought this would be cool for me to do, not because I’m big (ha!) but because I started this blog less than a year ago and transferred all my old Myspace recipe posts to it, which means that I have over a year’s worth of recipes that my readers have never seen.

Click on the titles below the pictures for the recipes.

Fully Loaded Buffalo Chili and Sweet Corn Muffins

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Orange Biggie Buns

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie

Honey Bun Cake

Tamale Pie

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

Slow-Cooked Enchilada Casserole

Fresh Apple Bundt Cake (I won 3rd place for this cake at the 2010 state fair)

Honey Oatmeal Bread (my favorite bread recipe to date!)

Salmon Corn Chowder

Honey Whole Wheat Cornbread

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
Squash, Sage & Ricotta Manicotti

Praline Sweet Potato Bread

Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage (my friend Kim just took 2nd place in a Taste of Home Healthy Cooking contest with a lighter version of this!)

Easy Apple Cider Doughnuts

Cinnabon Caramel Corn

Buttery Beer Bread (if I could only convince you to make one of these recipes, this would be the one)

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla-Rum Custard Sauce

Kielbasa and Northern White Bean Soup

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Crispy Caramel Puffed Corn

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Veronica

When I stopped in on a friend this summer, I couldn’t help but notice her kitchen counter was covered with drying caramel corn. I mean, I tried not to notice (because I’m trying to lose weight, dagnabbit!), but caramel corn is just not a thing I can ignore. I looked closer at it, and then got really close.

“Where in the world did you find popcorn that pops up so large?” I asked.

Her boyfriend piped up. “It’s not popcorn–I used puffed corn.”

I’m pretty sure an exclamation mark went off over my head. I loved this idea. He urged me to try it and as soon as I did, I knew I had to make some. He didn’t share his recipe but I just went with the recipe I always use, omitting the salt, halving it and using the puffed corn instead of popcorn. It was a hit at a family reunion and got devoured pretty quickly.

While I prefer caramel corn made with real popcorn, this is more of a snacky treat that is particularly appealing to kids and teens. It has a light coating of caramel and has a nice, salty taste and airy, crispy crunch from the puffed corn. That salty-sweet-puffy crunch can get pretty addicting! Try it out at a children’s Halloween party or pass it out to guests at a holiday party. Just try not to nibble on it while it’s cooling or you’ll have to make a second batch! I may or may not know this from experience.


CRISPY CARAMEL PUFFED CORN
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (8 oz) bag butter flavored puffed corn
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Pour puffed corn into a large bowl. Melt butter over medium heat, then stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Stir well. Pour over the puffed corn and stir to coat well. Bake in a roaster or two jelly roll pans for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry, separating pieces with a silicon spatula as you go. Serve once cool or store in an airtight container.

Recipe by Veronica Miller, inspired by Gary R.

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Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Veronica

This isn’t a cheese ball containing pumpkin, but a cheese ball that is shaped like one, making it a great addition to your Halloween or Thanksgiving spread.  It’s a Taste of Home recipe that I adapted to be completely home-made since I didn’t feel like purchasing a pre-made cream cheese spread for it.   I discovered the recipe through Dennis’ cousin, who brought the adorable cheese ball to our Thanksgiving feast last year.  I ate more of it  than anything else, including dessert.  It was just so yummy!  I like my version just as well and it was a big hit during an event at my sister’s gift boutique where I recently served it.

I’m submitting this recipe to All Through The Year Cheer‘s Halloween recipe round-up for a chance to win some Madagascar vanilla beans.  If you would like to participate, check out the details here.  You have until October 27th to get your recipe in!

Note to parents: don’t worry about the cayenne pepper–it just gives a flavor boost with an extremely mild heat–mild enough for children.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 3/4 packages (14 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (2 ounces) sour cream
1 tablespoon dried chives
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 celery rib or broccoli stalk
Assorted crackers

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Beat in the chives, paprika, and cayenne until incorporated, then beat in the cheddar. Shape into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. With a knife, add vertical lines to the cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin; insert a celery rib or broccoli stalk for the stem. Serve with crackers.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Recipe source: adapted from Taste of Home

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Snickerdoodle Blondies

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Veronica

Whether you’re a fan of snickerdoodles or not, I think you will love these bars!  I personally don’t love snickerdoodles.  I’ll eat them.  Come on, cookies are my favorite food group so of course I’ll take one when offered.  But these, I love.  They are so soft and buttery sweet and just…wonderful.  I think it must be the cinnamon in them, but I think the flavor is perfect for fall!

I know from experience that they have a good shelf life–I shipped a package of them in the hot summer and they weren’t delivered for five days because of a Post Office error, but they were still fresh when the birthday girl picked them up.  So don’t be afraid to make these up in advance for holiday gatherings/gifts–they freeze great too!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Cookies:
2 2/3 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (15 oz) brown sugar, packed
1 cup (8 oz) butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray, line pan with parchment and let it hang over the sides, then  spray the parchment with nonstick spray too. (The parchment is optional but creates nice handles to lift the bars out for easier cutting.) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream of tartar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer (3 to 5 minutes). Mix in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. The batter will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan. Spray your hands with cooking spray and use them to pat the mixture down evenly. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly on top of batter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Let pan cool completely. When ready to cut, use ends of parchment paper to lift out baked bars. Place on a cutting board. Use a large, sharp knife to cut into bars.

Makes 20 to 24 bars

Recipe source: Recipe Girl (her optional additions left out)

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Blue Ribbon Almond Fudge Cookies (gluten-free)

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Veronica

**Update 9/10/11: I have made these cookies several times since this blog, and have updated the recipe so that you use a a full cup of almonds, ground, instead of 3/4 cup.  This makes a more roundish cookie, which I prefer, but if you want flat ones like pictured, go with using only 3/4 cup.  I put pictures of the puffy kind at the end**

I have not been blogging recipes very often lately, which is more indicative of the amount of free time I have rather than the amount of recipes I have to share.  I have a whole file full of pictures I need to blog recipes for, but I figured I should first get to the one I promised you in the Carrot Cake Cookies blog.

I got this recipe from my friend, Marina, along with several others in an email she called “My favorite cookies.”  She didn’t point out these were gluten-free but while making them for the first time, I realized they were flourless!  My favorite gluten-free recipes are those that are naturally gluten-free and don’t call for strange ingredients, both because the taste is usually better and because those strange ingredients are usually quite pricey.  These cookies didn’t disappoint, in fact they pretty much astounded me.  They are so soft and chewy, they almost remind me of a brownie.  The flavor is outstanding.

If you won’t take my word for it, then maybe you’ll believe the Kansas State Fair judges.  They gave me a blue ribbon for them in the gluten-free category and wrote on my assessment paper, “one of the best we’ve tasted of all the cookies so far!”  That means they thought these puppies were better than most regular cookies with gluten, with which I whole-heartedly agree.  They are really, really good, whether you can have gluten in your diet or not.

Almond Fudge Cookies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
½ pound semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
¼ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Lay almonds on a microwave-safe plate and toast in microwave in 30-second intervals on high, stirring in between, 3-5 times until nuts are fragrant. Cool to room temperature. In a food processor, grind nuts until very fine, almost like flour. Measure out 1 cup and set aside; discard or save extra, if any, for another use.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler; remove from heat and set aside. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer on highest speed, gradually adding the sugar and salt. Continue beating until ribbons form; about 10 minutes. Fold in the chocolate-butter mixture. Gently add the ground almonds. Cover and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar, place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and immediately place in the oven. Bake until the center of the cookies are no longer wet, 10-14 minutes. Allow to cool five minutes on sheet before removing to rack.  Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar or more granulated sugar if desired.

Recipe source: adapted from Marina C.

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Mexican Corn Dip

Posted on September 26, 2010 by Veronica

This dip.  Oh, this dip.  I love it so much I have been known to trade a proper dinner for a big plate of it.

I first had it at a Church potluck a few years ago.  And then I had some more.  And when no one was looking, I had a lot more.  There were so many people that I had no idea who brought it, so I Googled “corn dip” when I got home to see if I could find the recipe.  I had to have it.  I could not live without it.  It was sweet, creamy, and cheesy and I loved the flavor contrast from the green onions & chiles.  I’m pretty sure I let out a squeal of triumph and glee when I found it on Allrecipes.

It has been in my “Favorite Recipes” file ever since and I bring it to almost any gathering that warrants a dip.   Most recently, that was a sales event at my sister’s gift boutique where she served appetizers.  When I arrived an hour into the event, she said she hadn’t had a lot of people yet but more than half the dip was gone (and it makes a big batch)!  You may not go gaga for it as I have, but it’s always a crowd pleaser.

MEXICAN CORN DIP
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

3 (11-oz) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
1 (4-oz) can diced green chiles, drained
5 green onions, chopped
1 (8-oz) container sour cream
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
3/4 cup mayonnaise
10 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl, mix well; cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  I recommend serving with Frito Scoops chips, which taste amazing with this dip, but it can also be served with tortilla chips.  Or a spoon. :)

Recipe source: allrecipes.com

This is how much the recipe makes-enough to nearly fill a 2 quart dish.

*I bought the Mexican platter in the first picture from Novica with a gift certificate I won from a giveaway on Girlichef (thanks, Heather!).  Don’t you love it?!  It was handcrafted & painted by the Castillo Family in Mexico, who designed it to emulate the classic majolica style of ceramics.  Check Novica’s website if you haven’t before–there are some amazing one-of-a-kind things there!  I also got some onyx earrings from Thailand–I love everything they have and love that they’re supporting artists from around the globe by enabling us to purchase from them.

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Carrot Cake Cookies

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Veronica

This is another recipe from my foodie Mama, Marina, and it won me second place in the “filled cookies” category at the state fair this year!  I also won first place with another cookie recipe of hers, but this is the recipe that everyone on Facebook demanded after seeing the picture, so I’m posting it first.  My only other first place ribbon was for Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies, in the “refrigerated cookies” category, which I have already posted the recipe for. I got eleven ribbons total and plan to share most of the recipes with you in future posts.

I don’t know what to say about these cookies that isn’t obvious just from looking at the picture.  They are delicious!!  Imagine classic carrot cake flavors combined with the buttery taste and soft, chewy texture of a cookie and there you have it.  Perfection!


CARROT CAKE COOKIES
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 ½ cups finely grated carrots
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar for dusting (I skipped this)

Heat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with Parchment paper, and set aside. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, raisins and walnuts. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Drop dough onto parchment paper, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, pipe or spread about 2 teaspoons of filling on half the cookies & sandwich together with a second cookie; dust with powdered sugar on both sides. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
Makes about 2 cups

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons crushed pineapple, well-drained and squeezed dry
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Place the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Beat the cream cheese until soft. Gradually add the butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine. By hand stir in the pineapple and walnuts.

Recipe source: Marina C.

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Working With Pie Dough

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Veronica

My friend, Laura, The Cooking Photographer, asked me to do be a guest host on her blog for a post on pie crust and I hope you’ll go check it out!  I even made an instructional video and you can see the post here: http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2010/09/perfect-pie-crust.html

Enjoy!

Veronica

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Vegetable Pizza

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Veronica

My buddy, Suzie, shared this recipe with me and I’m so excited to spread the love!  It is meant to be cut into little squares and served as an appetizer, but I never have need of appetizers so I just made them into big triangles to look more like real pizza and served them for dinner.  It was hard to stop at two slices!  I love the combination of the crescent dough, dill dip, cheddar cheese and veggies.  I think I may even like it better than real pizza!  I’m kind of obsessed now!

Vegetable Pizza
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (15.5 oz.) container vegetable dill dip
2 ½ c. broccoli florets
2 ½ c. cauliflower florets
1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced
½ c. red onion, diced (I left this out)
3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives, drained (I forgot these)
2 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

Unroll two tubes crescent dough and press into an ungreased 15 x 10 inch baking sheet; seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack. Once cooled, spread the dill dip over the crust (you will have some leftover). Sprinkle with the cheese, vegetables, and olives. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into squares. Refrigerate leftovers.

*If you cannot find the dill dip, you can make it: 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, 2/3 c. mayonnaise, 1 T. dill weed. Mix all in a bowl until smooth.
*Any vegetables you want may obviously be used in this dish, red or yellow peppers, mushrooms, etc.

*Veronica’s note: to make this more like real pizza, I left the triangles in their original shape and separated them before baking, reshaping the ones that were too long and skinny. Then I just prepared each piece individually as I needed them for the next couple days, storing everything separate in the fridge.   I also made my own dip, but with my own recipe: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon dried dill, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a little salt.

Recipe source: Suzie Shaw

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Baked Potato Salad

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Veronica

This recipe comes from another favorite recipe blog (I have so many!), Evil Shenanigans.  You can tell just from the name of this blog that there is going to be some seriously fattening, i.e. evil and delicious, foods on it.  And there are.  Just incredible.  Like this potato salad.

I’m not a huge fan of potato salad and never had one that I had to keep eating after the first bite.  I could have just tossed my potato salad as easily as eat it.  Until now.  I actually caught myself taking scoops of it out of the serving dish to eat on my way to putting the leftovers in the fridge!  It has turned me into that girl.  You know what I mean by that girl.  The one that secretly keeps jars of frosting in her cupboard and eats them with her finger.  Except my frosting, in this case, is baked potato salad.

It’s basically all the essential elements of a loaded baked potato, but in potato salad form and yes, it’s as good as you think it would be.  Make it.

Baked Potato Salad     
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

4 large russet potatoes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
1/4 cup chopped chives, divided (I used 2 tablespoons dried chives)
8 strips thick cut bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

In a medium bowl whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream until well mixed.  Add 3/4 of the chopped chives along with some salt and pepper.  Whisk to mix. Fold in the cheese and bacon.  Cover and chill for thirty minutes.

 Peel and cube the potatoes into 1/2″ pieces.  Cook the potatoes in salted water until fork tender.  Drain and cool slightly.  Fold the cooked potatoes into the chilled dressing.  Garnish with the remaining chives.  I recommend serving this warm or at room temperature because it’s not as good cold. 

Serves 6-8

Recipe source: Evil Shenanigans

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