52 Weeks of Cooking- Week Nine

This week, I gave the choosing part to my manager at work, Holly. She's a very picky eater and I like baking things that other people will eat.

She hasn't like some of the things that I've brought in before (although she loved the cake from last week!) so I brought in my recipe binders and told her to pick.

So this week's recipe is...Despiration Cookies

2 cups melted butter

3 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

4 beaten eggs

5 cups flour

3 cups chips (the chocolate/butterscotch etc kind!) [She choose white chocolate] {Any combo of chips is okay}

4 cups chopped nuts (Use any kind of nuts you want. But if you don't have eactly 4 cups, fill with crushed cornflakes or Rice Krispies) (I'm using 2 cups cashews and 2 cups Rice Krispies)

Melt butter. Mix in both sugars. Add vanilla, baking soda, salt and mix. Add eggs and stir. Add 1/2 flour, chips, and nuts. Stir. Add remaining flour and mix.

Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

52 Weeks of Cooking- Week Eight

It's my birthday weekend!

This Sunday I will be turning the big 23. And like the wild adult I am, I will be staying in to bake my own birthday cake.

I'm so crazy.

Since I have things going on tonight (Whoo! Party!), I figured while I was just sitting her, I would write the post early and then just edit it when I make the cake sometime Sunday.

By the way, I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. They also have a video to go along with it.

Ingredients

1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

2/3 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.

Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour half of the batter into medium bowl. Add dry gelatin mix; stir until well blended. Spoon half of the white batter and half of the pink batter, side-by-side, into each prepared pan. Swirl batters together using a teaspoon.

Bake 30 min. Cool 30 min. in pans. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Mix sour cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until well blended.

Gently stir in whipped topping. Place one of the cake layers on serving plate; spread top with 1 cup of the whipped topping mixture.

Top with 1 cup of the strawberries and remaining cake layer.

Spread top and side of cake with remaining whipped topping mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries just before serving.

Store any leftover cake in refrigerator

If you would like to view the video, here is the link.

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Strawberry-Swirl-Cake-Video/Detail.aspx

52 Weeks of Cooking-Week Eight? Week Seven and a Half? Week Seven Bonus?

Ok, so if you've followed my blog (or if you've gone through some past posts on here), you will know that I work at Arby's.

I have quite a few regular customers come through and I've gotten to know them really well. I know their orders, they know who I am, and we share about our days when we don't see each other.

Well, there is this group of guys who come in pretty much every day, Monday through Friday. They all work together and they all stop and get breakfast at Arbys.

Ever since taking on this year long challenge I have been sharing the food with these guys. And it's really great to get some feedback from someone right then and there.

Well, tomorrow is my day off and I just so happened to find a recipe for chocolate chip waffles the other day while searching for the perfect birthday cake recipe. I love waffles. I would pick waffles over pancakes any day. I was thinking about making them tomorrow, since I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.

I mentioned this to the guys and their eyes got so big! I couldn't break their hearts.

So I guess I'm making waffles tomorrow and bringing them in on Friday...

WOW this post is long and I'm just now getting to the recipe!

Chocolate Chip Waffles

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 and 2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup butter

2 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your waffle maker

In a large bowl, combine flour, chocolate chips, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add milk, butter, eggs. Mix till moistened. Some lumps may remain.

Add 1 cup batter to the area where you cook the waffle. Set a timer for 3 minutes and 45 seconds and cook.

Enjoy!

Oh and this recipe will have me at 5 desserts and 3 non-desserts. I am going to try to have just about an equal amount of both by the end of the year.

(I counted this one as a non. Even though it has chocolate in it.)

52 Weeks of Cooking-Week Seven (Early Posting)

Tomorrow is my day off.

For this week, I'm making Mexican Dish.

But I have to post this tonight instead of tomorrow because I have to do some prep work first.

Too bad I don't have any margaritas :(

You'll need:

- 1 or 2 lbs of boneless chicken

- 1 bunch of cilantro

- 6 limes

-2 cans of kidney or black beans (I'm doing 2 cans kidney, 1 can black)

- 8 corn tortillas

- Lots of cheese (depends on how much you like cheese)

- Lots of salsa (again, depends on how much you like it)

- Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Chili Powder, Crushed red pepper, and olive oil

Now for the directions...

1. Cut the chicken into random chunks and place in a shallow dish.

2. Squeeze all your limes over the chicken and add a little more than half of some chopped up cilantro over top of the chicken as well.

3. Cover the chicken and put it in the fridge overnight.

4. When you're ready to really start making the meal, put the chicken dish in a 350* oven for around 25 minutes or until it's not pink anymore.

5. While the chicken is cooking, open up the cans of beans and put them in a pot over medium/low heat. Add in some garlic to make them extra yummy.

6. While the chicken and beans are cooking, get the tortillas and chop them up into little strips. Pour some olive oil over the pieces and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, paprika, chili powder, and ground red pepper. Toss them all together making sure you have both sides covered in the spicy goodness. Put them on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven for about 10 mins till they get crispy.

7. By this time, the chicken should be done so get that out of the oven and start pulling it apart with forks so it's basically shredded chicken. (And it should pull apart easily because of all the lime it was soaking in).

8. Now, we layer. Spread 1/2 beans on bottom (feel free to mash the beans if you want), spread 1/2 jar of salsa next, then chicken, then cheese then cilantro and then repeat. Then you'll end with the tortilla shreds, a little more cheese, and the rest of that cilantro from earlier.

9. Put it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

10. Serve with sour cream and/or guacamole and enjoy!!

52 Weeks of Cooking-Week Six

After Baking the first half

Cutting into the slices

Finished baking 2nd half

(this is the other pan, I cut them differently)

For this weeks cooking adventure, I was having trouble deciding between Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

Of course, chocolate had to be in this recipe.

Eventually the biscotti won out because I've made countless number of cookies and while biscotti is still a cookie, it's something different I haven't done yet.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside

-Whisk flour, baking powder and cinnamon together.

-Melt butter. Whisk in brown sugar and white sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Mix after each one until well blended.

-Stir in flour mixture and fold in chocolate chips.

-Divide dough in half and shape into long slender loaves on each pan. Smooth top and bake 20-25 minutes.

-Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Return to baking sheets and cook for 10 minutes.

Pictures to come later today!

Oh I almost forgot. I finally got a Facebook Fan Page, so I can get more viewers to my blog. Link will be up soon as well.

My Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=289786741649#!/pages/Lebanon-OH/Jessica-Does-52-Weeks-of-Cooking/289786741649?ref=mf