Silken Peanut Spread

The Silly Witch gave me a great cookbook for Christmas, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. It has some great recipes and I'm excited to try them. This one is so good. It give you the consistency of the unhealthy peanut butter in the stores but is much better for you!

3/4 cup Natural-style peanut butter
3/4 cup silken tofu
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Process until smooth. Transfer to airtight content. Keep 2 weeks in the fridge! Yummy! I love how this spreads on the sandwich or with apple slices!

Potato Carrot Kugel

From The New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. My WHOLE family loved this!

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
3/4 cup vegetable stock or water
1 cup grated carrots or 2 cups winter squash
3 grated potatoes
2 beaten eggs (this recipe works with 1 egg as well)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I cut the salt in half)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Saute onion in oil (I actually used vegetable broth) until well done, and add garlic. Add stock, carrots, and potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in eggs. Mix together the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and seasonings and add to vegetables. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake fro 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6.

Prudence's Pancakes

Mix together:
1 c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
1 T. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In seperate bowl add:
3/4 c. milk or soy milk (add more if you like your pancakes a little flatter)
1 egg
1 T. safflower oil
1 grated apple
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (I add more, I love them!)
1/2-3/4 c. finely chopped pecans (food processor)

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients until just moistened. Cook
on griddle. Yum, Yum!
(I double this recipe for my family).

Lasagna al Forno

Here is an attempt to make lasagna a little bit healthier. This recipe
is also from my Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. The Daddy really liked it!

3/4 pound whole wheat
or whole wheat-soy lasagna noodles
6 cups tomato sauce, Italian style (I used mine from a can)
2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups grated mozzarella or Swiss cheese
1-3 bunches of spinach, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts or almonds

Cook noodles in a very large pan of boiling , salted water until
almost tender: they will cook more in the oven, absorbing liquid from
the sauce as they do, and if they are slightly undercooked at the
point, they'll hold together better while you're assembling the dish.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2 1/2 inch baking
dish, add a layer of noodles, lengthwise. Keep the best noodles for
the top. Each layer of noodles should lie crosswise to the one below
it.

On the layer of noodles, spread the first layer of filling; one half
the cottage cheese, one third of the nuts, one forth of the Parmesan;
and a coating of sauce. Layer noodles again, then the spinach and most
of the mozzarella, and sauce. More noodles, another cheese and nuts
layer, and your prettiest noodles across the top. Add sauce and the
rest of the nuts and cheese for the top. Bake at 350 degrees for
30-45 minutes; then let stand 10 minutes before cutting-otherwise it
will be too runny to hold together and too hot to eat. Serves 8.

NOTE: This is the original recipe in the book. Let me tell you what I
did and what I'm going to do in the future. I added shiitake mushrooms
to the spinach layer as well. I made two casseroles using the same
ingredients. This way I had the flavors of the cheese but it didn't
go overboard. So I put a 1/2 cup cottage cheese on the cottage cheese
layer instead of 1 cup. It was still sooooo good. In the future I'm
going to add tons more spinach and mushrooms. I would cut back even
more on the cheese and maybe add some different veggies like zucchini
or summer squash, maybe some green peppers. In the Laurel's cookbook
it suggests using tofu instead of cottage cheese. Also, a topping of
bread crumbs with a little olive oil would be good too. This is
definitely good for company. We had guests the night I made it and
they really liked it. Don't omit the walnuts. They have that good for you omega-3 fat in them and added a nice crunch!

A Pretty Corny Pizza Recipe

Here is an innovative pizza I tried from my Laurel's Kitchen cookbook.
It was really good and the WHOLE family really liked it. What a great
way to use up your abundance of summer squash!

Crust:
1 3/4 pounds summer squash
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon (or less salt)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Topping:
1 large onion, chopped (next time I'm adding more)
2 tablespoons olive oil ( I used less)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil ( I added more, I love the flavor)
1 1/2 cups grated jack cheese ( I used mozzarella and only used half the amount)

(This recipe is also good with mushrooms and any other veggies you
want to add to it.)

Cut squash in large chunks and steam until tender. Puree; you should
have 2 cups. Mix honey, eggs, and oil with the puree. Combine the
cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients and wet,
stirring until smooth. Turn into a greased 12"x18" baking pan or a
large pizza pan (mixture should be about 3/4" deep) and bake 12 to 15
minutes, just until corn bread begins to pull in from the sides of the
pan.

While corn bread is baking, saute onion in olive oil along with chili
powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander. Spread onion mixture across
top of corn bread, then scatter tomato atop that. Sprinkle with
basil, then cheese. Return to oven to 10 minutes. Serves 6
generously.

Lebanese Fattoush

I learned a higher way of eating when we lived across the street from someone from Lebanon. Her kitchen was always full of smells, and when she'd open up her pot, she'd show me something full of wonderful vegetables. She also served Tabouleh, a Lebanese salad, heavy on the parsley. Dod didn't make this particular dish; I adapted it from a recipe on allrecipes.com, but I was only attracted to it because of her. Incidentally, her kids were all HUGE vegetable eaters, as well.

• 6 lettuce leaves, chopped
• 3 cabbage leaves, chopped
• 4 small radishes, minced
• 1 medium cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 12 sprigs parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Toss together the lettuce, cabbage, radish, celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil, pomegranate seeds, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Curried Rice Salad

Rice
1 cup raw brown rice
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Vegetables
1 2/3 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced red or green bell peppers
1 cup diced apples
1/2 cup currants or raisins

Dressing
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar or mild honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne

plain nonfat yogurt
toasted chopped cashews
peeled and cubed mango (optional)


In a small saucepan, combine the rice with the tumeric, cinnamon, salt, and 2 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer very gently for about 40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, celery, peppers, apples, and currants or raisins in a large bowl. Whisk together of of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour it over the vegetables and fruit. Cool the cooked rice for 15 minutes; then toss it into the vegetables. Top each serving with yogurt and cashews, and mango, if desired. Note: Finely chopped mango chutney can replace the sugar or honey in the dressing if desired.

Whole Wheat Bread: Bosch Basic Bread

This recipe came with my Bosch mixer from Pleasant Hill Grain.

Hot Tap Water: 2.5 Cups
Step A Portion of Flour:4 cups
Oil: 1/4 cup
Honey: 1/4 cup
Gluten: 2 T
Dough Enhancer: 1 T
SAF Yeast: 2 T
Step B portion of flour:1 cup
Salt: 1 heaping T


Maximum total whole wheat (6 to 8) cups

With dough hook in Bosch b owl, pour in hot water. Add the "Step A" quantity of freshly ground whole wheat flour, then the oil, honey, gluten, dough enhancer and yeast. With splash ring installed, jog switch to "Pulse" several times to prevent splashing, then mix well on Speed 1. Stop and add the "Step B" quantity of flour, add salt on top. Turn on to Speed 1 and within about 1 minute, gradually sprinkle in more flour until the sides of the bowl come clean enough to see bottom of bowl. This final amount of flour required depends on the humidity of the air and the protein content of the wheat.

After bowl sides come clean, knead on Speed 1 until gluten is developed, generally 8-10 minutes. (If using white flour, kneading time for gluten development may be much shorter.) Gluten development is checked by pulling off a golf-ball sized piece of dough with oiled hands and slowly 2-3 inches between fingers. Gluten is properly developed when you can stretch dough almost transparent without tearing. If it tears very easily, knead longer. Gluten will develop more quickly if you wheat has exceptionally good protein content. Finished dough will have a soft sheen. If over-kneaded, it will become stringy and bread texture won't be uniform.

Note: It's better to add too little four than too much; you bread will be lighter. The sound of the Bosch will become deeper and the tone will rise and fall somewhat when you've added most of the flour. This is normal--the Bosch is built to take the load! If you use four from the fridge or freezer, let it warm to room temperature before using for bread dough.

When gluten is developed, pour dough out on a greased surface. Shape dough into a circle and divide into 2 equal pieces (a dough divider is perfect for this.) The batch makes 2 large (8 x 3 1/2) loaves. Or each piece would make 2 mini loaves or 2 pizza crusts. Two pieces make a 9 x 13 pan of cinnamon rolls. Loaf pans 8 x 4 1/2 give a nice rounded top.

Shape the loaves by hand or by rolling out. To roll out, use a greased pin on a greased surface and roll to 8" x 16". Then, starting at the far end, roll up tightly in a spiral like you would cinnamon rolls. Tuck each end under and slam dough down (hard!) on the counter a couple times to get rid of air bubbles between lays of dough. Put in greased pans. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until volume doubles (about 30 minutes). Bake in preheated oven at 350 F. After 30 minutes, est by removing loaf from pan and inserting probe of an instant-read thermometer through side or bottom, into the center of the loaf. Loaf is done when internal temperature reads 200 F at center. Cool on racks. Don't store in plastic bags until fully cooled. Freeze the extra loaves in bags.

Apple Bread

This is a recipe my friend gave me. She cut the sugar and added whole wheat. It's tastes so good even with half the sugar. Here it is . . .

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. each of baking powder and cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup each, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts
1/2 cup evaporated 2 % milk (I used regular milk, you can use soy too)
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated apples
1/2 cup grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add coconut and walnuts. Mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, egg, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir in apples and carrots. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into pan. Spread evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Makes 1 large loaf, 12 slices.

Fennel Carrot Soup

Here's one of my favorite soups from Light and Tasty. It has the best flavor from the fennel.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1-1/2 pounds carrots, sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium apple, peeled and cubed
3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
2 tablespoons uncooked long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley


DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, saute fennel seed in butter for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add the carrots, sweet potato and apple; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice, curry powder and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice and vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Discard bay leaf. In a blender or food processor, process soup in batches until pureed. Return to saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 117 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 989 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 starch.

Pasta Primavera

Here's is a recipe that I adapted from my Volumetics Cookbook by Barbara Rolls, PhD. It's called Charlie's Pasta Primavera.

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 c. seeded, chopped bell peppers of any color
1 c. chopped onions
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 c. diced zucchini
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 c. cored, chopped fresh tomatoes
2 T. fresh oregano
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. dry whole-wheat or white penne
4 cups baby spinach
4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keept the sauce warm over low heat. Cook the penne, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the penne and spinach to the sauce and stir thoroughly. Let the mixture sit over low heat about 1 minutes. Stir in about 1/4 cup reserved cooking water. Add more if the mixture looks dry.

Just a note, I added the butter garlic sauce I posted on the blog and it was REALLY good, however, if you don't want that sauce it's good with out it too! Enjoy!

Black Bean Taco Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Here is a yummy salad with a healthier than normal dressing. Just don't add too much garlic to it! I added one huge clove and it was WAY too much. One little clove or none at all is my vote.

Vinaigrette:

1/2 c. tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
2 tsp. lime rind, grated
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled

Combine tomato, cilantro, olive oil, cider vinegar, lime rind, lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper, and garlic. Place in a blender or food processor, process until smooth.

8 c. lettuce, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. chopped chicken
1 c. tomato, chopped
1 c. green bell pepper, chopped
1 c. red onion, finely diced
1/2 c. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 c. baked tortilla chips

Combine lettuce, chicken, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, cheese, and black beans in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette, toss well to coat. Serve with chips.

Garlic Butter Sauce

I was searching through Allrecipes online looking for a butter garlic sauce. Someone had adapted another recipe and came up with this one. It was awesome and sooooo simple. I hope you try it and enjoy!

1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan melt butter, add garlic and saute until cooked. Whisk flour into milk. Add milk and flour mixture into butter. Add dried oregano and dried basil and stir until heated through and slightly thicker. Mixture will still be thin though. Toss with a pound of pasta.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon and Asparagus

Serves 4, Prep Time 10 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 1/2 lbs. new potatoes, washed and cut in halves
3 Tbsp b utter, cut into small pieces
coarse sea salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cut in halves or thirds (marinade for at least a couple of hours)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup oil, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tsp salt, 1 clove minced

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potaotes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 minutes.

Place chicken on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 10-15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables and lemon drizzled with pan juices.

The Easiest Ice Cream Cake EVER!

For Adam's Birthday Cake I found a great idea online at http://www.allrecipes.com/.

INGREDIENTS
16 ice cream sandwiches
1 (16 ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping
1 (12 ounce) jar chocolate fudge topping, room temperature
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy bar, grated

DIRECTIONS
Place 8 of the ice cream sandwiches side by side in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread evenly with half of the hot fudge topping, then half of the whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and toppings. Sprinkle with grated chocolate bar.
Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep unused portion covered and frozen.

I actually used a few more ice cream sandwiches and I put everything in two 9x9 pans, then I put them in the freezer for 24 hours, and then I stacked the two cakes on top of each other and put more cool whip over it all. I guess I actually used twice as much cool whip! You can never have too much cool whip!

Taco Mac Salad

Tonight Pippi helped me make the meal, so of course, it was fabulous. "Mom this is yummy gummy... This is the most bestest goodest meal ever... Dad thinks its just okay, but I love this...You know Mom, I think this is the best meal I've ever had in Texas... Mmmmmm thanks for letting me help you with this Mom." I think I should have Pippi help me make dinner every night.

Taco Mac Salad from Menus4Moms:

• 1 box (8 oz.) tri-color spiral macaroni
• 1 lb. taco seasoned ground beef
• 1/2 cup green peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup cheese - cheddar, shredded
• 1 carton cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 head lettuce, shredded
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup french dressing
• 1 package nacho doritos

Cook macaroni as directed. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. In a large bowl mix macaroni, green pepper, onion, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, & seasonings. Chill. Just before serving, stir in warm seasoned ground beef, french dressing and chips. Toss lightly.

Chocolate Banana Bread...It's so good it could be cake!

1 c margarine/butter softened
2 c white sugar
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c lite sour cream
1 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Lightly grease two 9x5 in. loaf pans. In a large bowl cream together margarine/butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in bananas (as always, the older the better!) and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda and cocoa; mix well. Blend in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60 min, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

Salsa! cha cha cha

Since I have moved to the desert, salsa has become a very "hot" item. A friend taught me how to make her fresh salsa, and it has become my husband’s favorite. His co-workers have now started to request it!

Ingredients include:

1 can (28oz) Diced Tomatoes
1 medium Onion
1 bunch Cilantro
2 Jalapeños
7 Key Limes
2-3 cloves Garlic
Salt to taste

First tear off most of the stem of the cilantro, and then cut it into about 5-6 sections, then place it at the bottom of your CuisinArt. Next cut onion into about 24 sections, place them in your CuisinArt. Then, dump in the diced tomatoes, diced garlic, jalapeños (cut in to small sections), and salt. Chop all ingredients in CuisinArt using 1 second bursts (pulse button) until completely combined.
** You may think that it is strange to cut the ingredients prior to chopping them in the CuisinArt, but it is essential so that the ingredients end up as equal sizes. Nobody wants to bite into a huge chunk of jalapeño of their tortilla chip!

Enjoy!

Bran Flax Muffins

This recipe is from one of my friends from Hawaii who's kids are allergic to everything. They are so good and healthy. I think she added chocolate chips to the batch she gave me.

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. ground flax seed
3/4 c. oat bran or regular oats ground
1 c. brown sugar
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t ground cinnamon
3/4 c. milk or soymilk
1 t vanilla
2 TB. canola oil
2 c. shredded carrots
2 apples, peeled and shredded
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
1 c. nuts (optional)
1/2-1 c. coconut (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease muffin pan or bundt pan. Mix dry ingredients, add wet. Stir in carrots, apples and nuts. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 min. for muffins or 40-50 min. for bundt.

Savory Herb Rice

Original recipe yield:5 servings
PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 25 Min
SERVINGS 5

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon granules
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

DIRECTIONS: In a large saucepan, combine the water, butter and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2/3 cup) equals 178 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fat.

posted by Prudence

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever Made

I have to put this recipe in for posterity's sake (and so I don't lose it!). This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that our mom has made since we were little girls. It makes a HUGE batch of cookies so be prepared to share them! I usually send them to work with my husband. All the people he works with swear there is something addictive in them. I don't know how the Silly Witch feels about these cookies but they are the best. Be sure to follow the instructions exactly. They must be beaten for 10 minutes and then 3 minutes after you add the eggs and then 3 minutes after you add everything else. Don't skip this vital step. I think this is what makes them so good. I have also added almond extract instead of vanilla. This makes them even more addicting! Nuts can be added. I added macademias one time and they were awesome. Also, a little whole wheat can be substituted in without changing the taste much. Enjoy!

1 lb. butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

6 cups white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons real vanilla (I add 4 if it's imitation vanilla)

4 cups chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugars for 10 minutes. Add 3 eggs and beat 3 minutes. Add flour, salt, soda and vanilla. Beat 3 more minutes. Add chocolate chips. Form into teaspoon size balls and bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.


posted by Prudence

Patriotic Gelatin Salad

also from patient Prudence

INGREDIENTS
2 packages (3 ounces each) berry blue gelatin
2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry gelatin
4 cups boiling water, divided
2-1/2 cups cold water, divided
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS In four separate bowls, dissolve each package of gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1/2 cup cold water to each and stir. Pour one bowl of blue gelatin into a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with nonstick spray; chill until almost set, about 30 minutes. Set other three bowls of gelatin aside at room temperature. Soften unflavored gelatin in remaining cold water; let stand 5 minutes. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat just below boiling. Stir in softened gelatin and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and vanilla until smooth. When blue gelatin in pan in almost set, carefully spoon 1-1/2 cups sour cream mixture over it. Chill until almost set, about 30 minutes. Carefully spoon one bowl of strawberry gelatin over cream layer. Chill until almost set. Carefully spoon 1-1/2 cups cream mixture over the strawberry layer. Chill until almost set. Repeat, adding layers of blue gelatin, cream mixture and strawberry gelatin, chilling in between each. Chill several hours or overnight. Yield: 16 servings.

Editor's Note: This salad takes time to prepare since each layer must be almost set before the next layer is added. Printed from tasteofhome.com Jul 7, 2007Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2007