Chocolate Mint Cookies

I made this last week with Amy - she loves the dough, but wouldn't eat the cookies. I loved both :) I got the recipe from The Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book. I didn't have mint chocolate chips, just semisweet - but it was still good. I also used unsalted butter. And as you can tell by the picture I cooled them on cookie racks.

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tsp. mint extract
10 oz mint chocolate chips (about 1 3/4)

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and beat to form a grainy paste. Scrap sides of bowl, then add eggs and mint extract. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and blend at low speed just until combined. do not overmix.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 19 to 21 minutes, Immediately transfer cookies with spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Chowder

I combined two recipes that I found. We tried this recipe first at my in-law's house (on Spring Break back in '10). The second recipe came from Jamie's blog. This recipe is the result.

Makes about 8 servings

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 14.5-ounce cans corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 chicken breasts

4-5 T. taco seasoning ( I did this to taste...however much you want)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp lime juice

Toppings
shredded Pepperjack cheese
shredded cheddar cheese 
diced avocado
sour cream
tortilla chips

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker pour tomatoes, beans, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place chicken breasts on top of vegetables. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.

Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with a fork. 

Add the 1/2 t lime juice, 1/3 C sour cream and 2 T butter to the soup. Whisk it in until the butter has melted and the sour cream is well combined. Stir in shredded chicken and taco seasoning.

Top with shredded cheeses, avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips! Yum!

Cafe Rio - Style Lime Rice

This recipe comes from my MIL's 2008 neighborhood recipe book. It was submitted by Carol C* I honestly have never been to Cafe Rio- I know I've heard it's the best. So I don't know how to compare it, but it was really good. Aaron doesn't care for cilantro, but I put a little bit of fresh parsley in there for color. I also halved the recipe, and there was tiny bit left over.

2 c. long grain rice
2 cans (approx 4 c.) chicken broth
1 cube butter
1 c. chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
zest and juice of 2 limes

Saute the celery and onion in the butter. Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with butter. Add the broth, lime zest, juice and cilantro. bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

This was for St. Patrick's Day. From the Betty Crocker newsletter. Pretty straightforward, and delicious. I'm sure any brownie mix would be fine, but I happened to have a supreme mix.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Brownie layer
1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch) water, oil and eggs, as instructed on box.

Filling
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/4 c. whipping cream
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp mint extract
4 drops green food coloring

Topping
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 (12 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. butter (do NOT use margarine)


Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom only of a 9 x 13-inch pan with shortening or pan spray. Make and bake brownie mix according package directions for 9 x 13 pan, using eggs, oil and water. Cool completely - about 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, beat ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
3. Meanwhile in a 2 - quart nonstick saucepan heat topping ingredients, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. cool about 10 minutes or until lukewarm.
4. Pour topping over filling; spread to cover. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until set. Before cutting into bars let stand about 10 minutes at room temperature. For bars cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
   

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

made this without changing anything - almost. I didn't have pastina, so I used small shell pasta and it wan't quite 1 cup so I used some egg noodles too. Pretty much everything else is the same. I found it on the Food Network website - a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis. It was fabulous and really easy.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Ingredients

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

Aaron forwarded this recipe to me from the Betty Crocker Meals Made Easy recipe collection. I had an almost 3 lb roast, so I decreased the other ingredients by the same amount. I wish I had kept them the same. The sauce was really good, but because it wasn't enough to cover the roast it wasn't as easy to shred, it was a little tougher than I would like it. It makes a lot. I love left overs!

Slow cooker Root Beer Barbecue Beef

1 boneless beef rump roast (about 4 lbs)
2 cups barbecue sauce
1 cup root beer
16 sandwich buns, split

1. In a 3 1/2 to 4 qt slow cooker, place beef. In a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl mix 1 1/2 cups of the barbecue sauce and the root beer; pour over beef.
2. Cover. Cook on low heat setting for 10-12 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, remove beef from slow cooker; place on large plate. Pour juices from slow cooker into 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-high heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices are thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Meanwhile, shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker
   
4. Stir remaining 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into reduced juices in skillet; pour over shredded beef in slow cooker. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture into each bun.

Beef Pasta Skillet

This was a pretty good recipe. Great for nights when you need something quick. I added a fresh roma tomato chopped and an extra cup of pasta to make it go further.
Beef Pasta Skillet

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta or elbow pasta

1. Cook beef and onion in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
2. Add soup, water, Worcestershire, cheese and pasta and heat through.