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

52 Weeks of Cooking- Week Five (Early!)

Ok, so my one and only rule during this whole year long experiment in cooking was that I cook on one of my days off from work.

Well, rule are made to be broken right?

I wanted to make this week's recipe with my 2 managers and I in mind. We are all in a challenge to lose weight, like the Biggest Loser. And this recipe is made with low-fat items.

Well, my 2 days off this week are Saturday and Sunday (which is strange, as I haven't worked 5 days straight in a while). And the only day my managers and I will all be there at the same time is tomorrow.

Thus why I had to break the rule and make this week's recipe tonight.

Dreamsicles

1 package sugar-free orange jello

1 package sugar-free vanila pudding

1 can Mandarin oranges

1 8-ounce carton fat free whipped topping

(NOTE- You can substitute fresh strawberries and strawberry Jello [which is what I made] or peaches and peach Jello)

-Dissolve Jello in 1 cup hot water. Add ice or water to make 2 cups. Let sit for 5 minutes.

-Add vanilla pudding mix and oranges. (NOTE- While my Jello was sitting, I was cutting up some strawberries and washing them. I didn't quite use a whole package of strawberries)

-Fold in whipped topping.

-Let Refrigerate for 2 hrs.

So I will either be back tonight at around 11 for a picture or I will be back tomorrow with the results of the taste testing and a picture.

Also I just wanted to say thanks to my like 3 readers out there lol. This journey is mainly for me, but since I'm putting it online, it is for you too.

So thank you =)

52 Weeks of Cooking-Week Four

I'm really nervous about this recipe. I've never made it before (obviously), I've never had it before, and when I was talking about it (to my co-workers), they say they've never had it before.

But I got it from my favorite mystery novel series (the Hannah Swenson novels, by Joanne Fluke). And every recipe in those books are tested...

So...Mystery Cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter

3 and 1/2 cups white sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 can condensed tomato soup (yes..tomato soup...this is why I'm nervous)

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons cinncmon

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups raisins (I don't like raisins..so I used chocolate chips)

2 cups chopped walnuts (measure after chopping)

4 and 1/2 cups flour

Microwave butter in bowl to melt. Add sugar and let cool. Mix in eggs.

Add soup and mix. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add raisins and walnuts. Stir.

Measure flour and add in 1-cup increments, stirring in after each cup.

Let dough sit for 10 minutes.

Spray Pam on a cookie sheet.

Drop drough by teaspoons onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 1-2 minutes on sheet and then move to wire rack.

52 Weeks of Cooking- Week Three

This week we have...Walnuttoes. Which are really just chocolate-walnut cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups flour

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup white sugar, set aside

Directions

-Melt chocolate chips with butter. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, then stir til smooth.

-Mix in brown sugar and let cool.

-Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.

-Mix in vanilla, baking powder, and salt.

-Add flour and mix well, then add nuts and mix.

-Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

-After chilling preheating oven to 350 F.

-Roll walnut-sized dough balls. Drop into sugar and coat.

-Place on greased cookie sheet and smush down with greased spatula (or fork).

-Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 1 minute and remove to wire rack.

52 Weeks Of Cooking- Week Two

This week I was off Monday and today. After I finished what I made last week, which my co-workers loved, I was trying to decide what to make for this week and week three.

For week two, I was going back and forth between Spinach Quiche and what I ended up choosing.

So, today's recipe is... MUSHROOM SOUP!

I love mushrooms....mmm...

2 cups chicken broth

8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

1 can (10 and 3/4 ounce) condensed cream of chicken soup (undiluted)

1 can (10 and 3/4 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces shredded Gruyere (or Swiss or Montery Jack (which is what I used)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine chicken broth and mushrooms (besideds 12 slices for garnish) in a blender. Mix it up (Side note: I didn't set aside the 12 slices)

Add cream of chicken soup to blender. Mix it up.

Coat the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with Pam.

Add blender to pot.

Add cream of mushroom soup, cream, cheese and pepper. Stir.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Side note for this soup/my thoughts- I liked it, but it probably would have been better if it had actual mushrooms that I could "chew" up. Which is probably why it told you to hold off on some of the mushrooms lol.

Win some/lose some.

52 Weeks of Cooking- Week One

I've been missing from here lately and for that I am sorry.

But it's a new year and I'm back baby!

I really would like to get back into cooking again and I decided that I will start out slow.

Trying one new recipe a week shouldn't be too hard should it?

Just which ever day I happen to be off, I will cook 1 new thing.

And what a better day to start than the 1st!

So today, I present to you:

Chocolate Chip Crunchs

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 beaten eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups crushed cornflakes (I discovered that 2 cups uncrushed cornflakes will give you 1 cup crushed cornflakes)

1 to 2 cups chocolate chips

-Melt butter. Add sugars and stir. Add soda, salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix. Add flour and stir. Add cornflakes and chocolate chips. Mix.

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Form walnut sized dough balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press down with floured spatula.

-Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on sheet, for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

These cookies are different. The crunch that the cornflakes gives is nice. I will definitely keep this recipe for later!