Cheese-and-Tomato Toasts

I made these for our New Year's bash and everyone loved them :) I had to keep making more! I used cream cheese and added a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and basil to the tomatoes. Weird, but I even ate them for breakfast the next morning!

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 oz. mild, creamy goat cheese or cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 loaf (about 8 oz.) Italian bread
• 2 cloves garlic, halved

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, stir together goat cheese, 1 Tbsp. parsley and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, 2 tsp. olive oil, salt and 1 1/2 tsp. parsley.

Slice off and discard ends of bread. Slice loaf diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place on a baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Rub 1 side of each toast slice with cut side of garlic. Brush with remaining olive oil.

Just before serving, spread toast slices with cheese mixture and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 tsp. parsley on top.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

yumm! these taste like little muffin Snickerdoodles! I made them for the first time right after Fast Sunday, so; yes, I was really hungry, but they ARE Tasty! the original recipe called for 3/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg and 2 t. vanilla, but I wanted these to taste just like Snickerdoodles, so I didn't add them in....if you want a still yummy muffin, go ahead and add them, just don't call them Snickerdoodle Muffins!

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. cream of tartar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sour cream (I used light, and they were fine)
pinch of salt (not in original recipe, but i added it)

1 c. sugar mixed with 2 t. cinnamon for rolling muffins in



Directions:

*Turn the oven to 350* spray with PAM 2 muffin tins (i LOVED these as mini muffins, I made both, but the mini muffins had a better cinnamon sugar to muffin ratio I thought)

1. Cream the softened butter with the sugar till light and fluffy-about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mix till each is incorporated.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, b. powder, soda, and cream of tartar.

3. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Adding the flour first and last. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using a scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the sugar till it's covered completely. Gently pick it up and pop it into the prepared muffin tins (mine filled to the top). Recipe said it makes about 14, I made 1 dozen regular and a whole pan ?? 2 doz?? minis....go figure.

5. Bake for.... i think i baked the minis for about 9 minutes...check with a toothpick at 8.
the regular size, may have been 14....again, check...sorry I didn't write it down....recipe said 20-22, but It wasn't that long.

happy baking!

Another GREAT Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2 c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. sugar

1 lb. butter (4 sticks)

3 eggs

2 T vanilla

1 ½ t. baking soda

1 ½ t. salt

6 c. flour

2 big handfuls of oatmeal

½ - 1 bag each of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and white choc. Chips (or peanut butter chips)

*** and I like to add toasted pecans too!

Cream the sugars and butter till fluffy and creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, b. soda, and salt. Add the oatmeal, and the chips, and the nuts.

You can refrigerate covered dough overnight if desired.

Bake in 350* oven for 9 or 10 minutes.

YUMMY!

and yes....you CAN 1/2 the recipe!

Mel's Mint Cookies

so....not MY recipe, but one Mel found, and i ate. these stayed soft and chewy for the whole week! yum!

Melanie’s Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 (1 pound 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
6 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks



Directions

1) Mix cookie mix, butter, extract, food color, and egg in bowl, until
soft dough forms. Stir in crème de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

2)Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased
cookie sheet.

3)Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes; remove
from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store
tightly covered at room temperature.

Homemade Mac n' Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. salt

1/2 t. dry mustard (I don't add this)

1/4 t. pepper

2 1/2 C. milk

2 T. butter

2 C. cheese

1 3/4 C. - 2 C. macaroni noodles (more or less depending how saucey you want it to be.)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook macaroni, drain and put in 8x8 baking dish. Set aside. Combine cornstarch, salt, dry mustard (yuck), and pepper in pot, and stir in milk. Add butter and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in cheese until melted. Pour over macaroni noodles and stir up. Sprinkle extra cheese on top to cover noodles. Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

SUUUUPER good. Probably one of my favorite side dishes and my kids LOVE it too. Whoopee!

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS:

4 C. sliced apples (granny smith are the best)

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 C. water

7 T. butter (softened)

1 C. sugar

3/4 C. flour

DIRECTIONS:

Butter the baking dish (i use a round glass dish, or my 8x8) and add in the apples. Add the cinnamon over the apples, and then pour the water over also. (fact: I use WAY more than a t. of cinnamon. I don't measure it, I just use the container to sprinkle it all over the apples till I feel like it's evenly spread. I like cinnamon.)

Work together sugar, flour and butter with fingers until crumbly, and spread over apple crud and bake uncovered for 90 minutes at 325. (I don't think mine usually takes the full 90 minutes, but I cut my apples real small. Just keep any eye on it around an hour till the top is browning a little, and try poking a knife or something in the apples to see if they're soft and gooey.)

I LOVE THIS STUFF. And you better have vanilla ice cream to go with it or else it's boring. Hooray!

Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Bites

these are owesome. even katie likes them!

Ingredients

• 8 slices uncooked bacon
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 Lg. red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (3 oz)
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 can crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray, or line with cooking parchment paper.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp. Remove from skillet; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside.
3. Discard bacon drippings. Add oil to skillet; heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion and bell pepper; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Place mixture in food processor bowl with metal blade. Cover; process until smooth. Or blend in blender on medium speed about 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape sides, until smooth.
4. In small bowl, mix goat cheese, cream cheese and parsley until smooth.
5. Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle into 8 (1 1/2-inch) squares. Place squares on cookie sheet. Spoon rounded 1 teaspoon red pepper mixture on each square, spreading slightly. Spoon slightly less than 1 teaspoon cheese mixture on pepper mixture on each square. Top each with about 1/4 teaspoon crumbled bacon.
6. Bake 15 to 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled.