Kale Chips

 A healthy alternative to potato chips & super easy to make.

 Take one bunch of Kale, rinse & dry thoroughly.  Tear into bite size pieces & drizzle with olive oil.  Then, sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes & you will have crispy & delicious Kale chips.

Game Day Wings

Start by marinating the wings in heavy cream, egg, hot sauce, cayenne pepper & other spices. I let mine marinate all morning

Then, I tossed in flour & cornstarch seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder & a bit more cayenne. Let the wings rest for about 20 minutes while you are heating up the oil. I use peanut oil & heat it to 375 degrees.

These are so good & so easy. I took a recipe from Sunny Anderson and then tweaked it just a little bit.

Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable shortening, for frying
24 whole chicken wings (about 6 pounds)
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch

Directions
In a large pot, heat vegetable shortening until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a wire rack.

Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, separate the chicken wings into the drummettes and wings, discarding the wing tip joint.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, cayenne, a couple shakes of Frank's Red Hot, 1 tablespoon salt and black pepper.

In a paper bag, shake together flour, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon pepper, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper & 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Place chicken in egg mixture and toss well to coat. Place chicken in batches in the bag of flour mixture. Shake well to coat. Set on wire rack to let coating set, 20 minutes.

When oil is at the right temperature, add chicken, working in batches, and fry until cooked through and crispy, about 13 minutes. Season chicken with salt.

Christmas Dinner

There are almost no words for how good this was. A 6lb bone in prime rib with roasted red potatoes & garlic mushrooms. So delicious.

Aunt Moe's Pizza Dip

All Ed wanted to snack on was Aunt Moe's Pizza Dip. So, I contacted Aunt Moe & here you go. He was so happy & devoured it.

It is basically 3, or 5, layers of Cream Cheese, Pizza Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese.

1 container Chive & Onion Cream Cheese

1 can Pizza Sauce

1 package Mozzarella Cheese

In a pie plate, spread the Cream Cheese. Then, spread a layer of Pizza Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese. Repeat the Pizza Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until all bubbly. Serve with Garlic Bread.

Cranberry Muffins

I bought 2 bags of fresh cranberries a few weeks ago. I tried a Cranberry Scone recipe & it was horrible. Why? It had a glaze on it that ruined it & made it soggy. They went to the trash. So, I was soured on cranberries for a bit. As many know, I am not one for cooked fruit. So, it took time before I was ready to try again. Last night, I had an urge to make Cranberry Muffins. I was laying in bed, reading a book & could not help myself. I jumped out of bed & went right to the kitchen. If you follow this blog, you may recognize the recipe. I repurposed a Blueberry Muffin recipe.
I started with the topping. Butter, Sugar, Flour & Cinnamon.

This is a very stiff dough. Once you mix the ingredients together, fold in the berries. These were frozen, but I have used fresh Blueberries in this recipe.

Divide the dough evenly between 12 muffin cups. I had some cutie blue with snowflakes that I wanted to use. Then, the topping gets added and fills the cups to the top.

Now, your turn...

Muffins

1 1/2 cups AP Flour

3/4 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1 Egg, beaten

1/3 cup Milk

1 cup Cranberries

Topping

1/2 cup Sugar

1/3 cup AP Flour

1/4 cup Butter, cubed & cold

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Flour, Sugar, Salt & Baking Powder, whisk together.

3. In a measuring cup, place Vegetable Oil & Egg. Add enough Milk to fill the cup, may be a bit more than the 1/3 cup.

4. Pour this into the Flour mixture & combine. The dough may be stiff.

5. Fold in the berries.

6. Divide among the muffin cups & add the topping.

7. Bake 20-25 minutes. Turn out onto counter & cool on wire rack.

Cheese Dog Treats

Time for homemade dog treats for Justice. He gets them every year for Christmas & his birthday. These are so easy, & I like to make extra & send to friends. When I make these, and look at other recipes, I wonder why I bother to buy treats from the pet store. I can make something healthy for him with hardly any work at all.

How easy? Check out this recipe...

1 cup Wheat Flour

1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 Tbls Garlic Powder

1 Tbls Butter, softened

1/2 cup Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix Flour & Cheese together. Add Garlic Powder & softened Butter.

3. Slowly add the Milk until you have a stiff dough. You may not need all the milk.

4. Place on floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Then, roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.

5. Cut into shapes & place on an ungreased cookie sheet. I still used a silpat on my baking sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes & let cool in the oven with the door slightly open until cool & firm.

7. Refrigerate to keep fresh.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

Seriously, the stickiest dough I have ever worked with.

Rolled into balls & then, with the tips of the fingers, lightly press down.

But, looks yummy, right? Next step - filling

Easy & tastes a bit like frosting. Why? Powdered Sugar, Cream Cheese & Butter.

Sandwich together and you have cookie heaven - Hubby could not stop eating. Want to make festive? Add Peppermint Extract to filling and/or roll in red / green sprinkles. Your friends will love them.

For the Cookies:

2 boxes Devils Food Cake Mix

4 Eggs

2/3 cup Vegetable Oil

For the Filling:

1 8oz package Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

4 cups Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine Cake Mix, Eggs & Veg Oil. The batter is really stiff. Pinch off pieces of batter & roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet & flatten slightly with tips of fingers.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes & remove to a wire rack.

4. While cookies are cooling, combine the Cream Cheese & Butter until smooth & blended together.

5. Gradually add the Powdered Sugar & Vanilla Extract. Mix until the icing is smooth. **You could add food coloring here for holiday themed cookies)

6. Once you have "sandwiched" the cookies, store in the fridge in an airtight container.