BHS Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe originates from my hometown high school. Go Bobcats!

Cream these ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Then mix dry ingredients in bowl and add to mixture above.
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips

The key is baking them at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Supposedly the secret is in the lower baking temperature.

Best Ever Cookies

I got this recipe while at my first year at Ricks College from a neighboring friend! All of us roommates loved it when she made these cookies and shared with us.


Cream:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs

Add:
1 Tb. water
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream the first ingredients then add the rest and mix it together. Then roll the cookie dough in powdered sugar before placing on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Cafe Rio style black beans

I made these last night to go with Tami's generous Cafe Rio sweet pork and rice meal she made us- is this recipe already posted on the blog? anyway these are super good!!!

Café Rio style black beans

1 can (15-16oz) Black Beans
2 Tablespoons Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
½ teaspoons Cumin
8 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
3 Tablespoons Cilantro, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Chop onions and garlic. Heat extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat and cook onions and garlic with cumin until soft. Add all other ingredients and simmer at least ten minutes. Best served with Lime Cilantro Rice. You may need to double recipe for bigger families.

Cheesecake in Various Flavors

These recipes comes from a Kraft cookbook titled, A Taste of Heaven. Very good and easy!

Oreo Cheesecake

1pkg (1 pound 2 oz) Oreo cookies, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkgs. (8 0z each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325. Line 13x 9 pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Place 30 cookies in food processor; cover. Process 30 to 45 seconds or until finely ground. Add butter; mix well. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time beating just until blended after each addition. Chop remaining cookies. Gently stir 1 1/2 cups of the chopped cookies into cream cheese batter. Pour over crust; sprinkle with the remaining chopped cookies.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Lift cheesecake from pan, using foil handles. Cut into 16 pieces to serve. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings.


Other variations:

Graham cracker crust: Mix 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and 3 Tbsp. melted butter together. Then press crust mixture onto the bottom of foil-lined 13x9 baking pan. Bake 10 minutes at 325.

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake- Mix the 5 italicized ingredients from the recipe above (that is the core recipe). Then Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time beating just until blended after each addition. (So far this is the same as the above recipe, minus the crust and added Oreo cookies). Pour into graham cracker crust.

Then puree 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries in a blender or food processor. Gently drop spoonfuls of pureed blueberries over batter; cut through batter several times with knife for marble effect. Bake the same as above recipe.

New York Style Cheesecake- make a graham cracker crust. Then mix the 5 italicized ingredients from the recipe above adding 1 more package of cream cheese (8 0z), 3 Tbsp. flour and 2 more tsp. of vanilla. Mix filling the same as above and pour into crust. Bake same as above. After cheesecake is cool, top with cherry pie filling (1- 21 oz. can) before serving.

Or instead of the cherry pie filling, swirl 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam into the batter for a marbled effect and then bake (you can substitute 1 bag (16 oz) frozen fruit, thawed, drained and pureed, for the 1/3 cup jam).


Tiff's notes: I have made all three of these Cheesecake variations and they are all delicious and easy to make. I really like baking them in the 13x9 pan with the foil (easy clean-up). However, you can always use the traditional spring form pan if you choose.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe somewhere online last week as I was searching for recipes. OH MY GOSH this soup is to die for!!! My photo isn't very good....but trust me...this soup is something your whole family will LOVE! So easy too! Love crockpots!

3-4 chicken breasts (I used 3)
1 clove garlic
1/2 large onion. chopped
2 Tbl butter
2- 14oz cans chicken broth
1 pkg chicken gravy
1-14 oz can tomatoes (I blended mine up)
1 cup salsa
1 Tbl. cumin
1 tsp salt

Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 5-7 hours. I even used frozen chicken breasts. Easy! Take out chicken and shred, then replace back into soup. Serve with crushed chips on top, grated cheese and sour cream. Serves 6-8.

Chicken in Basil Cream

Wonderful recipe - another hit from Jody!

1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 T. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 jar (4 oz) sliced pimientos, drained - I didn't use these.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil (I used 1 tsp. dried)
1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions: Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken in butter on both sides until juices run clear, about 10 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

Add broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir to loosen browned bits. Stir in the cream and pimientos; boil and stir for 1 minutes. Reduce heat. Add cheese, basil and pepper; cook and stir until heated through. Pour over chicken. Yield 4 servings.

P.S. I doubled the recipe for my family and the missionaries. I served this with rice. It is so good!

Rasberry Lemon Muffins

This recipe comes from "Beyond Oatmeal". These are great muffins - love them!

Muffin:
1 (8 oz.) container lemon yogurt
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. lemon peel
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup rasberries

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. butter

Muffin: Combine lemon yogurt, oil, lemon peel, and eggs. Mix until well blended.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda; mix. Combine with yogurt mixture--do not over mix. Gently fold in raspberries. Grease muffin tin. Fill cups 1/2 full.

Topping: Combine sugar, flour, and margarine. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Grandma Clark's Whole Wheat Bread

3 qts. lukewarm water
2 TB. dry yeast
3 TB. salt
3 TB. sugar
5 qts. wheat flour - sifted
1 cup powered milk

(I didn't copy the instructions word for word - I wish I had. They were brief).

I added the water, yeast and sugar and let that sit for about 10 minutes. Then I added the salt, four and powered milk and mixed that thoroughly. It barely fit into my old Bosch mixer (Grandma Anderson's old one she gave me). Then I removed it and let it sit for hours on the counter covered - I wished I had a large enough metal bowl like grandma did. Then I kneaded it a little and let it continue to rise for 3 hours! Then I put it in the pans and let it rise again.

I baked it at 350 until done - 30 minutes or so. I can't remember.

If this makes no sense at all - just make up your own instructions or look at another recipe. This make many loaves of bread! I didn't sift my flour because I freshly ground the wheat just minutes before making the bread.