Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

This is from the Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book (200 recipes!!!) David and I made these and then shared them at my Primary meeting.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. (packed) light brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
2 stick (1 c.) salted butter (I used margarine and a dash of salt)
2 large eggs
2 tap. vanilla extract
12 oz raisins (I used only 1 1/2 cups)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 300 F
In medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Mix well with wire whisk (I never do this). set aside.
Blend sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add butter and mix until grainy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture, raisins, and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Drop by rounded tablespoons into ungreased baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a flat surface using a spatula.

After the first batch I upped the temp to 325 and baked for 20 minutes. Much better. Less gooey, and lightly brown.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

I can't believe I haven't posted this one yet. I thought I'd made this in that last 8 months. I first got the recipe from my MIL's ward cookbook. I have since seen it (and variations) elsewhere. It is really simple and fast if you think ahead. I halve the recipe, which is easy except for the half packet. I've also included my changes within the directions.

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 packet Italian dressing mix

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot (I cut into smaller chunks so it cooks faster and thoroughly). pour soup over top. Cut cream cheese into small pieces and scatter over top. Sprinkle dressing packet over top. Cook on high for 45 minutes, stir, then on low for 6-7 hours (or on medium for 3-4 hours). Serve over hot rice or hot cooked noodles.

Cinnamon muffins

This recipe came from my MIL's ward cookbook (submitted by Nedra C*). They were so good! I didn't have nuts, but yummy anyway!

1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, stir the first six ingredients together. In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil together. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir only enough to moisten the flour. Don't beat - the batter should not be smooth (optional fold in nuts). Line muffin tins with baking cups or grease. Fill each one 2/3 full with batter. Makes about 12. Bake at 400 F for 18-22 minutes.

Sorry no picture!

Tex-Mex Rotelle

I found this on the back of the rotelle pasta package. It was good with a few modifications. It called for 1/2 tsp. salt (I thought it had enough sodium already so I didn't add it) and 1/2 c. water (but I thought it would have been too juicy so omitted that as well) Quick and easy!

1 (16 oz) pkg. rotelle
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 28 oz. can diced, peeled tomatoes in juice
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook rotelle according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown meat until most of the pink is gone, breaking it into small pieces. Stir in taco seasoning, and tomatoes with juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place in large bowl, Add sauce to coat. Sprinkle cheese over each serving.

I just added the cheese to the whole dish and mixed it in until it melted. Lots of leftovers! Oh and I didn't have a full pkg of rotelle, so I did some farfalle (bowtie) pasta as well.

Stovetop Chicken

I got this recipe from an enrichment back at Wymount. Vanessa C* brought this recipe.

1 6oz box stuffing
4-5 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. sour cream
1 2/3 c. hot water (or chicken broth)

Mix hot water and stuffing in a bowl. Set aside. Place chicken breast in a 9x13 pan. mix sour cream and soup together in a bowl. Pour over the chicken. Fluff the stuffing with a fork and then distribute evenly over the tip of the soup mixture. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Note: You can use as few as 1 chicken breast (I use 2 for my family of 4), cut into bite sized pieces. Also chicken cooks better (faster) if it is in either strips of pieces, but baking whole works well too, just takes longer.
I also add veggies to the stuffing mix. 1/2 c. chopped celery, 1/2 c. chopped onion and a couple of mushrooms if I have them. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine then add water. Bring to a boil cover for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in stuffing mix. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. (These instructions are usually on the box under "stovetop directions".
Also I didn't have a cream of chicken soup last night, but I did have cream of mushroom and it worked just fine. Sorry I didn't take a picture.

Whipped Butternut Squash

Fall is time for yummy squash! At least it is for me. I know that Aaron doesn't like squash, but I he knows better than to say so when I am introducing a new food to the kids. So he politely took some, and ate it with no complaints. I thought the kids would like it especially when David saw the squash and was so excited because he knew what it was (from the Winnie the Pooh video). But apparently their dislike for it is inherited. Even though Aaron didn't voice his dislike, the kids wouldn't eat it. David literally gagged down 5 bites so he could have seconds of his dinner.
I, on the other hand thought it was delicious. I needed to bake it a little longer. There were still some big chunks that didn't get soft enough to whip. But I thought it was very good and creamy. I only had one squash and so I halved the rest of the ingredients. I used real butter, but fat free sour cream. I added 1 Tbsp brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. If you like squash, you'll like this recipe. It's not my picture, but mine looked like that - right down to the type of bowl!

Whipped Butternut Squash

• 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup light sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash halves cut side down in a medium baking dish with enough water to cover. Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until tender.
3. Scoop squash from skin into a medium bowl, and mix with margarine and light sour cream. Whip until smooth. Season with salt and pepper

Caramel Apple Dip

Tara B. had a great recipe for this. I don't know if this is it, but it's pretty close, and so yummy. I halved it and cut up a couple of apples for snack today. We didn't finish it off (apparently I liked it more than the kids), so I'm glad I didn't make much, or I'd be eating way too much!

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.