pudding cookies with oreos

to those of you who check this blog
it's your lucky day!

i'm posting a second recipe from my day of baking

this one is called pudding cookies, because they use jello pudding
my mom used to make these cookies when i was a kid
and i loved them because they never failed
they were delicious
and you could change the flavor based on the pudding you used!

also, recently i heard that someone i know put oreos into their cookies. brilliant!
so i decided to make a batch of these cookies, using chocolate fudge pudding (my personal favorite, although i have been known to enjoy vanilla, butterscotch & even pistachio pudding cookies)

i made one pan with oreos & one pan without
michael has already had one, straight from the oven
and then he was walking around with chocolate on his face
enjoying himself too much to care i suppose :)

so here is the recipe & some photos

Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (4oz) Jello instant pudding
2 eggs
1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugar, pudding mix and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be stiff. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cookies do not spread out, so you can place them fairly close together.

Bake at 375 degree for 8-10 minutes.

If you want to add an oreo, grab a teaspoon of dough, and flatten it. place oreo on top of dough and then wrap the dough around it completely. Place on cookie sheet.

enjoy!

cookies with oreos inside

see? proof!

that is one happy husband! :)

cinnamon buns with sugar glaze

this morning my sister phoebe came over to make cinnamon buns
she had been craving them
and i claimed to have a delicious recipe
so she came over. and inbetween episodes of a bachelor marathon (it's so much more fun to watch, when you can see the episodes back to back) we made cinnamon buns

ooey gooey
soft & delicious
cinnamony goodness


this recipe is for a bread maker
i'm assuming you could make it without the breadmaker
but i don't know the directions for kneading & resting the dough

here it is:

Breadmaker Cinnamon Buns

dough:
put the following ingredients into the breadmaker in this order:

1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Set your breadmaker on the "dough" setting.
my breadmaker takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete this cycle (rising time included)

Once the dough is ready, and risen, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle (15 x 9 inches)
Spread 2 tablespoons butter or margarine on the dough.

Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar & 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over butter.

Roll up tightly, beginning at the 15 inch side.
Pinch edges to seal.
Stretch roll to make even.
Cut nine 1 1/2 inch slices.
Arrange in greased 9x9x2 inch square pan, spacing evenly.
Cover, let rise until double in size; about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Top warm rolls with glaze (see recipe below)
Makes 9 rolls.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon butter or margarine, softened
1 or 2 tablespoons water or milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, blend ingredients until smooth. Spread or drizzle on warms when they are still warm.  *I used chocolate milk this time (it was all I had) and it made the drizzle a subtle chocolate flavour.

delicious

red curry peanut noodles

i found this recipe today on the chatelaine website
and it looked & sounded so good

so, after work i went and got the ingredients i was missing at home and supper was made & ready by the time Michael got home

it turned out really well, but VERY SPICY
if you don't like spicy food then you will definitely need to modify this one (lessen the curry paste basically)
i love spicy. i love using chop sticks
i love peanut sauces
and any dish with chicken

so, here it is

try it and enjoy!

red curry peanut noodles

ingredients:

1/2 500g pkg spaghetti
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp thai red-curry paste (if you don't like spicy, i'd only use 1 tbsp at most)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

directions:

1. cook pasta, following the package directions.
2. meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk peanut butter with 1/4 cup water, curry paste, soy sauce and honey (don't worry if it's lumpy - it will melt when cooked)
3. ladle out 1/2 cup pasta water and add to sauce
4. heat a large frying pan over medium-high. add oil, then onion and chicken. stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink, 4 minutes.
5. add peanut butter mixture and reduce heat to medium. stir frequently until chicken is cooked, about 2 minutes.
6. add broccoli to pasta & water for the last minute of pasta cooking time.
7. drain pasta and broccoli, then return to pot. stir in chicken mixture until combined.
8. top with chopped peanuts
9. enjoy!

my ingredients ready to go

cooking and smelling delicious

time to eat!

perfect pizza dough

i love browsing through recipe books

one day i stumbled upon a tasty looking pizza dough recipe
the recipe was titled "benefit of the dough" and had this description:

no doubt about this dough!

it's the best-tasting healthy

pizza crust you've ever tried.

and it's a pizza cake

to make - simple and

quick enough for a

weeknight supper

delish.

this is my go-to pizza recipe now. with the prep, the rising and the baking it takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. or an hour if you're taking your sweet time.

so tonight, for our valentines dinner i am making 2 pizzas. one for michael & one for me. that way we can each have our favorite toppings, and we'll have left overs for another day this week.

so here is the recipe. try it!

ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp flax meal or ground flaxseed (i prefer the ground stuff, it integrates into the dough better)
1 envelope (or 2 1/4 tsp) quick-rising yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup very warm water
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp liquid honey
cooking spray
1 tbsp cornmeal

directions:
in a medium bowl, combine both flours, flaxseed, yeast & salt. mix well.

measure warm water in measuring cup, then stir in olive oil & honey. pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix using a wooden spoon to form a ball. turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. knead for 2 minutes. spray the inside of the bowl with cooking spray and place the dough back inside. cover with plastic wrap. let rise in a warm place ** until double in size, about 20 minutes. meanwhile, spray a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil spray and dust with cornmeal.

when dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. transfer dough to prepared pizza pan. you can top it with your favorite toppings at this point & bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. or, prick crust in several places with a fork & bake untopped for 6 minutes. remove crust from oven, top with your favorite sauce & toppings, then slide pizza directly onto middle oven rack and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.

** my own note. a tip from my grandma. if you want to speed up the rising time - fill up the sink with hot water (about 1/3 of the way up the sink. definitely not enough to go over the bowl!) place the bowl in the hot water. it'll help!

also, i stretch the pizza dough enough to fit onto a regular sized cookie sheet. it makes a nice thin crust and a larger pizza.

anyway, the timer just went off. and they smell & look perfectly delicious.

here are some pictures and... happy valentines day!

preparing the toppings while waiting for the dough to rise 

my rising in the sink trick

the dough all ready for toppings

michael's pizza. chicken, beef, red peppers, yellow peppers, bacon, cheddar cheese & feta.

my pizza, hot out of the oven. chicken, yellow peppers, red peppers, bacon, cheddar cheese & feta. mmmm

emilee's banana chocolate chip muffins

banana chocolate chip muffins are one of my favorite things
moist, delicious, and good any time of the day

michael's cousins wife, and my friend, emilee gave me the best recipe
it never fails!
also, when i make them they disappear very quickly... they are always a hit.

i have a batch baking in the oven right now, i'm going to take some past the land, the guys are putting up more walls today on the house! so exciting.

so, here is the recipe, try it, it really never fails!!

Emilee's Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients:

Dry:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
1 cup white sugar (this can be reduced to 1/3 cup and noone really notices)
1 cup mashed bananas (approximately 3 bananas)
1/2 cup oil - vegetable or canola (this can be substituted with unsweetened applesauce)
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Add the wet to the dry, plus 2 handfuls of chocolate chips. Mix just until the dry is totally mixed in.

Place batter in greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Makes approximately 12-15 muffins.

choco-bananos

my first recipe on here is going to be one that doesn't really have a "recipe" so I shall make one

after work yesterday i went to superstore and bought a few bundles of bananas
some chocolate from the bulkbin
and some bamboo skewers
and set out to make...

CHOCO BANANOS
ok, that's what we called them in guatemala, but really they are frozen chocolate covered bananas on a stick, doesn't choco-bananos sound so much more exotic though?

i lived in guate (once you've been to guatemala, and fall in love with it - which you would if you went there - you affectionately refer to it as guate) for 3 1/2 months as part of the school of discipleship program (cmu) and i have loved it ever since. sometimes i allow my mind to drift back there. to the sounds & smells. the feel of the hot sun & the cool evenings. the beautiful sound of spanish conversations. the packed chicken buses. the pollo campero and sandia. the liquado shop, and the wonderful lady that made and sold choco-bananos from her small home.
she sold them for 25 centavos and they were so delicious. i think we got them every day after language school. they were perfectly cold and chocolately. the ultimate treat.

rocky mountain chocolate factory also makes choco-bananos, although they are much more elaborate than the ones the wonderful guatemalan lady made. michael always laughs at me as i attempt to eat them at baseball games, with chocolate falling everywhere. so, i will bring a little bit of guate to my kitchen, and to you, by making my own batch of choco-bananos

ingredients & supplies needed:
3 bananas
2 cups bakers chocolate or chocolate chips (choose your sweetness: semi-sweet, milk chocolate, white or even butterscotch if you're feeling adventurous)
1 tablespoon margarine
strong skewers
wax paper
1/2 cup bakers chocolate (a different kind than used earlier)
1/2 tsp margarine

peel the banana completely and break in half
insert a skewer into the banana, about 3/4 of the way
place in a freezable container, lined with wax paper
freeze for 1 hour, or over night

melt chocolate (2 cups) and margarine (1 tbsp) in a pot over low heat, stirring constantly, and being careful not to let it burn. (the amount of chocolate can be adjusted based on how many bananas you decide to use) remove from heat once melted completely
take frozen bananas out of freezer and dip in melted chocolate one at a time, placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper after dipped
repeat with remaining bananas
melt the second type of chocolate with the margarine. once melted, remove from heat and use a spoon to drizzle over the bananas

put bananas into freezer again for at least 15 minutes to allow the chocolate to really harden. eat frozen like a popsicle at your leisure :)

*bananas can also be sprinkled with nuts, sprinkles, cookie crumbs or any other item of your choice immediately after being dipped in chocolate to mix it up!

getting my supplies together 

ready for the freezer 

the chocolate hardens very nicely on the bananas when they are frozen 

dipped & drizzled. into the freezer, then time to eat! 

left over chocolate used to make chocolate covered oreos for an extra treat

turn the oven on.

i have decided to start another blog
now i offically have 3 blogs *gasp!* i must be a terribly interesting person
or terribly self involved??
or maybe just interested in too many things to jam into one blog

speaking of jam.. that is always something i've wanted to try making, which is a lovely segway into explaining this new blog.

i love trying new recipes. especially with baking, but sometimes with cooking as well.
with cooking I'm more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" type of cook
a pinch of this
a touch of that
and some faithful, tried & true staple recipes

i have always wanted to be an amazing baker
growing up my friends always wanted to come to my house because my mom was the best baker
her cookies were the tastiest
her puffwheat cake - the gooey-est

my grandma was an amazing baker (and cook)
when i would call her to ask for a recipe she'd say "well the recipe says this, but i do this" or "i add flour until it feels right" "i bake it until it's done"
once i watched her make buns. i'm convinced she was faster than any industrial mass producing machine.
baking for loved ones was one way that she showed her love
and i think i got that from her

when she passed away i was able to become the proud owner of her kitchen aid mixer
i think of her whenever i see it
i also have her baking/cooling racks and her cannisters
i love remembering the smell of her kitchen
the way she wore a shower cap to keep her hair out of the recipe

this blog is a place to list recipes
suggestions
experiments
results of those experiments
memories of making these recipes in the past
and so on

i have a newly painted kitchen
piles of recipes, new & old
a creative spirit
and many wonderful friends & family that can enjoy the experiments (at least the ones that turn out!)

so, enjoy
feel free to add suggestions or requests of a recipe you'd like to try or receive
or use the recipes
or ignore me completely :)
this blog is to share, but it's also just a creative outlet for a baker that misses her favorite baker
time to have some fun.