Misc. Recipes

The following recipes are ones that I made in the last few weeks and felt were worth sharing:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies turn out very soft and rich.... but then, what can you expect from a recipe with 1/2 pound of butter in them!
1/2 pound unsalted butter - room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
With a mixer, cream butter, white and brown sugar.
1 egg yolk
2 eggs
2 T milk
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
Add eggs, milk, salt, vanilla and baking soda and mix until combined.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix until smooth.
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight - good luck not eating any of the batter.
Spoon 3-tablespoon dollups onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until just starting to turn brown.
Remove from oven and place cookies on a cool surface.

Cheese Garlic Bread Spread

This spread makes more then enough for a loaf of Ciabatta bread so I used the left-overs to put on top of vegetables.
1 cup butter or margarine
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Microwave margarine in medium glass bowl for about 40 seconds or until about halfway melted.
Mix in all ingredients, using a fork.
Spread mixture over bread.
Place on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 450, until top is golden brown.

Chicken, Kielbasa and White Bean Soup

I had some left-over deli-chicken that I wanted to use up so I found this recipe that sounded really good and as it turned out - it was!
Navy beans — AKA Yankee beans — are small and white. Dried navy beans require lengthy, slow cooking, but canned beans make a convenient shortcut.
8 oz. kielbasa - bias-sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup celery
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes in juice - (14.5 oz.)
1 can navy beans
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes to taste
Brown kielbasa in oil in a pot over medium, 2–3 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Add onions, carrot, celery, and garlic to pot; cover and sweat over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, 7–8 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium-high, and stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
Deglaze pan with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated, 3 minutes.
Stir in broth, tomatoes, beans and liquid, rosemary, and bay leaf; simmer 10 minutes.
Add chicken and reserved kielbasa; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Calico Potato Salad

Source: Paulette Higginbotham - 1979 3rd Annual Eastern Star “Taster’s Luncheon” Cookbook
Last weekend I had to take a salad to our Official Visit at Eastern Star so I thought this recipe sounded good and would be appropriate as Paulette was an active member of Eastern Star when she was alive.
Combine the first eight (8) ingredients:
6 c. diced cooked potatoes
1/2 c. diced cucumber
1/2 c. diced onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
3 T. chopped - canned pimiento
1 1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. celery seed
1/4 t. pepper
2 hard cooked eggs
1/2 c. whipping cream - (whipped)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. vinegar
1 T. prepared mustard
Coarsely chop the eggs, reserving one whole egg yolk. Add the chopped eggs to the potato mixture. Combine the remaining ingredients (except egg yolk), toss with the potato mixture 1/2 hour before serving. Sieve egg yolk over top of salad.

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Source: Food.com

I really like Blue Cheese salad dressing and after finding this recipe I figured my search was over - and I was please to see that Van’s IGA has it in their deli section.
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons grated onions
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk, mixing well.
Add remaining ingredients mixing thoroughly.
Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving for best flavor. Print this post