Soft Ginger Cookies

The ingredients seem odd, it was kind of thrown together based on about 3 other recipes combined, and using what I actually had on hand, and um, experimenting. the result is some pretty taste, soft and aromatic cookies. yum. just in time for fall.
you're welcome.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter (a stick and a half) at room temp
1 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1/4 c honey

in one bowl mix the first set of ingredients(the dry ingredients). set aside. in another large bowl cream together the butter and sugars. add egg, mix well. add honey and mix thoroughly. slowly add dry ingredients to bowl until completely combined.
preheat oven to 350
drop teaspoon full at a time onto cookie sheet a couple inches apart.
bake in preheated over for 9 minutes.
let rest on cookie sheet for 5 min then move to wire rack to cool.

enjoy with a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or even apple cider.

again, you're welcome. ;)

Chicken Alfredo

you ll need some fettechini(sp??) noodles and ....

Chicken

2 Chicken Breast
    (Boneless, Skinless)
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Dried Chopped Onion
1/2  Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbs Olive Oil
 

Sauce

 1 stick Unsalted Butter

1 Tbs Fresh minced Garlic -about 3 med cloves
3 leaves Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp White Pepper
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
2 C Heavy Cream
1 C (packed) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

 

Put all ingredients listed under “chicken” in a Ziploc bag, shake well so it‘s completely coated and marinade about 30 min.

Melt butter in med pot over low heat. Add garlic, basil and red pepper. Let cook 5 min. Add olive oil. Turn heat up to medium. Add salt, white and black pepper, and cream and bring to rolling simmer, until it starts to boil up (about 10 min) stirring occasionally. Once simmering, turn heat to low and add cheese. Continue to cook another 5-8 min until sauce thickens up.

While sauce is cooking, put 1 tbs olive oil in med-lg saucepan on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add contents of chicken Ziploc bag to pan. Cook until golden brown but not overcooked and dry.

Cook fettuccini pasta in salted water until al dente

Serve sauce over noodles topped with chicken...

FRESH Salsa

MMM, this is really yummy salsa. And made without canned tomatoes... so its also a bit more expensive to make. instead of using all fresh tomatoes, substitute one lb tomatoes for a can of Rotels(mmm, green chilies) tastes pretty yummy as well, but then thats cheating, because its not fresh ;)

 

2 Tbs Fresh Jalapeño
(Seeds removed for med, keep for hot)
2 Tbs Fresh Garlic
½ C Fresh Cilantro
½ C Red onion, chopped
2 Lbs. Tomatoes
2 Tbs Lime Zest(about 1 lime)
Juice from 1 Lime1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
½ Tsp Cumin

Put Jalp, Garlic, Cilantro and Onion  in food processor and pulse until small. Add rest of ingredients and process until desired consistency. Let sit in refrigerator about an hour to let flavors mature.

Ranch Dressing/Dipping Sauce

1 c Mayo
1/2 c sour cream
2 tbs fresh parseley
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
4 tbs whole milk

blend well with hand mixer whish. store in fridge an hour or more to blend flavors.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Im still perfecting this recipe. The flavor is AMAZING, the texture is a bit watery. So this is a "rough draft" of the final project. Any tips on how to thicken it up would be welcome.


(2) 14 oz cans of Artichoke Hearts, drained well and diced
1 lb of FRESH spinach (if you want to wash it, do it the day before and make sure its completly dry first!)
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 package (8 oz) Cream cheese
3/4 c. Mayo
2 Tbs Fresh Garlic, minced
1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
4-5 Cups Parmesan Reggiano, grated
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced

Combine all ingredients besides spinach into a Large(8 qt.) pot over medium heat. Stir contents mixing well. Add spinach a handful or two at a time (as it heats it will shrink up). Continue to cook until all spinach is added and mixed well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add contents of pot  to 9X13 casserole dish and bake in over for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with Bruchetta

Bruschetta:

5 leaves Fresh Basil, chopped
4-5 Cloves Garlic
Handful Italian Parsley, stems removed
½ C. Parmesan Cheese
1 C. Olive Oil(Extra Virgin)
Salt(Kosher/Sea)
French Baguette

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Cut Baguette into ½” slices. Combine basil, garlic and parsley in food processor and process until chopped fine. Add Parmesan cheese and leave on. Slowly add olive oil while processing. Take mixture and spread about a teaspoon onto each baguette slice. Sprinkle each slice with salt. Place baguette slices on cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven about 5 min. Then turn to Low Broil until browned (only a few minutes, watch closely!)

Great with Spinach Artichoke Dip!

Hot Honey Wings Sauce

1 stick butter
1/4 c louisiana hot sauce
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 c honey
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

put all ingr together in pot over med heat. bring to boil and let boil 5-7 min until sauce thickens up whisking constantly. turn heat off and let cool in mason jar. makes about 1 cup sauce.

Peach Rosemary Lamb Chops

Heres another recipe that was thrown together based on what I had available. Ive never made Lamb before, and it turned out quite yummy.

Ingredients:

1 Overripe Peach
1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
2 Tsp Fresh Basil, chopped
¼ Tsp Ground Ginger
¼ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
¼ Tsp Oregano
¼ Tsp Paprika
¼ Tsp White Pepper
4 Lamb Chops

Mash Peach well, mix in herb and spices. Put Mixture in a Ziploc bag and add Lamb Chops. Marinate 6 hours (or overnight).
Heat a skillet on med/high heat ad spray nonstick cooking spray to coat. Pour entire contents of Ziploc into skillet and cook about 8 min per side or until desired internal temperature is met and outside is browned.