Apples~Oatmeal~Cinnamon...What's not to love!!

 Oh.... and did I mention Cookies!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful labor Day Weekend!

We had such a fun time!!

ALL of the family made it to the party. 

And these days to have all the kids 

make it home at the same time is amazing! 

Even my nephew who attends West Point in New York

made it for the festivities! 

So.....

to welcome in the new season I decided to share 

with you one of our favorite Fall cookie recipes!

I would love to take the credit for these awesome

cookies but it was my daughter that found the recipe!

She made them and I was instantly hooked.

Have I ever told you that I have a weakness for cookies?

They have cinnamon chips, oatmeal and apples!

I didn't even know they made cinnamon chips.

Their like a chocolate chip only made of cinnamon 

and their made by Hershey.

 I am not a lover of fruit but the apples 

make these cookies wonderful!

So if you want a little taste of fall

go ahead a give them a try!

And PLEASE let me know what you think!!

Cinnamon Chip Apple Cookies!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon apple juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
10 ounces pkg. cinnamon chips
1 cup apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup raisins or nuts {I use walnuts!}

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F.


Lightly grease cookie sheet. Beat butter, brown sugar, egg, apple juice and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in oats. Add cinnamon chips, apple and raisins; stir until blended. Drop by teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Enjoy My Friends!

COCONUT MACAROONS!

i am embarrassed to say that until last month
i had not ever had a macaroon
not coconut, not french, not any of any kind
and i am a lover of sweets! sweets of all kinds!
{i thought I was not a lover of coconut but...
it turns out i'm loving it now}
my biggest weakness is the cookie!
i absolutely love cookies!


then....last month as i had mentioned before, 
i went for lunch at a fellow blogger's home
and joy @ savvy city farmer had coconut macaroons 
for dessert....yum!
{thank you joy for turning me on to
the wonderful world of macaroons!}
she was kind enough to send me her recipe
and that's when the 4 weeks of coconut macaroons began
i stocked up on all the ingredients
and i started making them....and making them....and making them!
mine did not taste as good as joy's did :-(
i tried several different variations
and because i can't give out a recipe that is not mine to give
i found another for all of you
it is so yummy you will need to make it right away

Coconut Macaroons

{actual photo of my macaroons}

14 ounces shredded coconut (sweetened)
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)(or sweetened cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped cashews{i chop them in my little chopper thingy}
8 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate (optional)
{always add chocolate when ever you can!}


 Combine all the ingredients except the condensed milk and mix to combine. Add the
condensed milk and mix until all the coconut is coated and sticking together.
{i usually get 3 cookie sheets of 12 for a total of 36 macaroons. 
so make them a little bigger than a tablespoon.
(Add a layer of parchment paper so they won't stick. i love parchment paper!!}
Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes, until the coconut is crispy brown on the edges. Remove from
the baking sheet immediately to prevent sticking.
{i pull the parchment paper over on to a cooling rack & cool}
Optionally melt the chocolate and drizzle it over{i drizzle}, or dip the macaroons in it.

*{i melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave and then add a some vegetable oil~ enough so that the

  chocolate looks glossy. this make the choc. look glossy and not dried out looking}


my daughter, the health nut has now begged me 
to stop with the macaroons
she is now addicted and thinks she has gained 5lbs.........not!


but sometimes i get on something and i can't stop till i perfect it
those of you who know me well 
are now chucking at that last statement....
but because of my crazy perfectionist personality
you now get a wonderful recipe......yay!

~enjoy~

Just a Peek!

Hello everyone, I've missed you!

But... have been busy enjoying my break!!

Thought I'd give you a peek of one of the little projects I've been working on!

If you have even been to my house you have probably noticed this in my kitchen.

I have had this little Longaberger recipe basket for forever.

 And it's bursting at the seams.

So I bought this:

And some refill protectors.
And got to work....

Then....
I ran out of space and had to buy a 2nd one.

 Then more protectors...

And yesterday.....
I had to buy a 3rd book and even more protectors!
Who knew I had so many recipes!

I also have tons of recipe books, that I would like to 
copy my favorite recipes and put into my new recipe binders!

(These are just a few of my favs!)

I like this new recipe binder for several reasons.
It has wonderful big 5x7 cards.
And protectors for 5x7's.

Which... I took my old recipes and just inserted them.

Someday I plan to re-write them on the new cards.
(That will be  a great winter project!)

I can also put all my full page recipes in a full page protector.

I love to look up new recipes online.
The best part of online recipes is that other people have already tried them out.
And many write reviews so I don't waste my time on a not-so-good recipe!
I have tons of good one!!

And how about the inside covers!

Measurements, Terms & Techniques
and even Substitutions!

 How helpful is this!

The only thing that I wasn't crazy about was the dividers! 

The categories didn't match up with my old recipe box.

And...they where really hard for these "old" eyes to see.

So I grab my trusty label maker and made new easier to read labels!

And....
as with most of my projects it seemed to 
grow into more than I expected.

But I love my new organized recipe binders!

They grew in to a series ~ I now have
Vol. I ~ Vol. II and Vol. III
Crazy Huh?

Well I best get going...

My guy is taking vacation this week so we are off and running!

Hugs,

I don't know if you have noticed but I have an addiction for
cookbooks!

I truly enjoy trying out new recipes.

Crazy huh?

And then there is my family!
While they get a healthy meal most nights.
They also are the victims of some pretty bad ones!

Now I realize that you can't love every single recipe in a book.
But I have made several meals from this new book and
so far so good.


I was working around the house with the TV on
and Rachel Ray had this guy on her show.

He is Rocco Dispirito!


And he was talking about his new cookbook.

"Now Eat This"

All the recipes are under 350 calories.
Comfort foods that are low in calories and fat and
actually taste good.

And because I have a weakness for cookbooks,
I ordered it from Amazon.

We love the Chicken & Dumplings and the Steak Au Poivre.
Next I am trying the
Smothered Pork Chops With Apples and Cheddar Cheese.

I will say we weren't love'n the
Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes
and Provolone Sauce.
But I think it was because I am not crazy about rosemary.

~So far this cookbook was worth the $~

Enjoy!

Bonnie Part II

A little more about my friend Bonnie.....

Here are a few photo's that were taken by my sister.
These are photo's of our son's wedding reception at our home.

This is some of Bonnie's magic!

This table was in the entrance and it had
bags of homemade cookies for guest to take home.

Our son and daughter-in-law had their wedding on
Sept. 19th, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri .

Three weeks later we had a second reception back in Illinois.

The displays were fantastic!

So many wonderful choices!

My kitchen never looked so good!

How about all these dessert!

Having 175 guests at your home is soooo stressful.
And yet Bonnie made it seem effortless.

It was amazing to watch everyone have such a great time!
So much yummy food, we ate all night long!!!

I heard about Bonnie through another lovely friend of mine!
And because of Bonnie our night was unforgettable....

So there you go...wedding lesson 101.....
find a truly fabulous caterer!!

~Thank you Miss Bonnie~

Good Friends~Good Food~Good Wine

There's nothing better!


My oldest and dearest friend Gina, her husband, Phil
and their son, Gabe came by for dinner Saturday night.

She brought me this.....

It was a wonderful get-well gift for little o'l me!!

And...I just had to show it off cuz it's just so stink'n cute!!

Thank you so much my friend!!



So.....

I decided to pull out my new go-to meal!
Everyone needs a go-to meal don't you think?
Mine used to be a Creamy Chicken Enchilada dish.
But I have served that to almost everyone by now.


So it was time for a new one!
I found this one in a this cookbook.
Which I have talked about before!

It's really pretty simple.
If you like pasta with Vodka sauce
then you'll love this healthier version just as much!!

Penne alla "Not-ka"

Serves 4
Calories per serving: 371

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

3. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

4. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Since I can't get away with a meatless dish.

I cut spicy Italian sausage and
Italian chicken sausage in to 3 in. diagonal pieces.
Then cook it in a little olive oil.
And serve it on the side.

Now add....
alittle salad, some french bread a great bottle of wine and
you've got a perfect go-to meal!

Enjoy!!

Mezzaluna!

Well, I have finally come down from the clouds!!

I found a home for most of the goodies I won in the
The Painted Lady contest.

And now back to everyday life.......

Speaking of which, have you ever heard of a
Mezzaluna?

A Mezzaluna is a knife consisting of a
single or double curved blade with a handle on each end.
It is often used for chopping herbs or a very large single blade
version is sometimes used for pizza or pesto.

The name of this knife means “half moon” in Italian.
The crescent-shaped blade is sharpened along its whole length,
allowing you to rock it from one side all the way to the other for a clean cut.

The wooden block has a shallow indentation in it,

ideal for containing the ingredients to be chopped.


These are my new favorites in the kitchen!
I have actually found many uses for my Mezzaluna knife and board.
I chop onions, celery, garlic along with fresh herbs.
Anything that I need to dice up small.

I ordered them from Amazon.com.
You can find them in sets but I choice to go
with two different brands.

All though if I did it again I would order the
WÜSTHOF 8in. blade and board set.
The Boos Board I ordered is really heavy.
And some how it ended up in the dishwasher.
Which is not good on a cutting board.
(No one will fess up - go figure!) ;-)

This is one of those things that I needed to share
with all the women in my life!
If you like to cook you'll love these.
{P.S. You might try a less expensive one
to see if you love it as much as I do.}

Now I am thinking Mandolin next!
If you don't know what this is, don't worry, I will talk about it later!

Dinner Anyone?

Do you want to knock you husbands socks off?
This simple recipe might just do that.

After watching the movie "Julie and Julia", I couldn't get
"Beef Bourguignon" out of my head.
I thought, what is this dish with the funny French name.
Don't get me wrong I do eat out and I do love food but...
this I had never heard of before.

And.... if you haven't seen this movie - rent it.
I loved it. I loved the French kitchens and all the copper pots and pans.
It will make you laugh!

I am also old enough that I actually knew who Julia Child's was.
The crazy TV chef who talked with a shrill high pitched voice.
Who cooked amazing French food for all to see.

I will also admit that ever since I started cooking in my own kitchen,
I have pretended to be a TV chef.
I put on a fun apron and walk my fake TV audience through what ever recipe I am making (even if it's just macaroni and cheese).

I only do this when I am cooking alone.
So...let this be our little secret.

Then I came across this cookbook by
Mindy Banicki from Rockford, IL.
I ordered it online for $5.00 .
Check the cookbook out HERE.

Low and behold, she has a healthy version of Beef Bourguignon.
I grabbed my apron and began to entertain my
imaginary TV audience!

I made it on Wed. and served it on Thursday.
{The flavor deepens if you let it sit in the fridge over night}
I threw together some garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus.
Yum!!

After this meal my husband thinks I am the best cook in the world!

I think I am Cindy - Imaginary TV Chef!

~Beef Bourguignon~

2 1/4 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes

8 oz. Canadian bacon, finely diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 c. red wine; Cabernet or red Zinfandel
1 1/2 c. low-fat beef broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. dries thyme
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour 1 Tbsp. butter
2 jars button mushrooms, rinsed & drained(or small whole)
1 pkg. (8oz.) frozen pearl onions
Coarse salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley(I used my own parsley from my herb garden!)

Dry beef with paper towel. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil (I used a little more olive oil here and there) to heavy bottomed nonstick Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Add beef and saute until lightly browned about 5 min. Remove beef from pan and season with salt and pepper.

Add Canadian bacon to pan and saute over medium for 10 min. until bacon is golden brown. Remove from pan and add to beef.

Add red wine, beef broth, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until reduced by half. Mix flour and (melted)butter to form a paste. When wine mixture is ready whisk paste mixture in to it. Cook for about 1 min. till thickened.
Return beef cubes & Canadian bacon to Dutch oven. cover and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour.

Add mushrooms and pearl onions and simmer for another 15 min.

Now remember this is a comfort food.
I think it would make a great holiday dinner.
Maybe even Easter?

As Julia would say...
~Bon Appetit~

Yum!!

I just ordered this!

I already have this!

And, I just made this for dinner!
~Turkey Chili Crunch~
It was awesome. It has cocoa in it and bittersweet chocolate grated on top.

I've also made this several times.
~Turkey Mini-Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies~
The sauce on top is spicy and the meatloaves are so tender!
~Yum~

I have tried to make Turkey Burgers and they are always dry!
But not these. They taste great and are easy.
The toppings make it even better. (Lettuce, Tomato and Avocado)

~Southwestern Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries~

Cook Yourself Thin doesn't sound like a lot of fun.
But these recipes are some of my favorites.
My husband even likes them,
and he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
Some of the recipes call for quit a few ingredients but the taste is worth the extra time at the store.

Let me know what you think!