Mocha Nut Balls

Kind of like a chocolate shortbread…

Kind of like a mocha that melts in your mouth….

I wasn’t sure about trying these unknown cookies. They aren’t like a standard recipe of chocolate chip cookies, you know? But I’m glad I did! They might even be make-again’s. But it’s more fun to try a new recipe than to make one again! I hope you’ll try them out – because you’ll like them! I mean, if you get any cookies made. The dough is really good.

Mocha Nut Balls

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 T. instant coffee granules

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and coffee granules; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 325 for 14-16 minutes or until firm. Cool on pans for 1-2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Roll warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar.

Yield: 4-1/2 dozen cookies

~Rachel~

Sweet Cream Scones with Maple Pecan Butter

Okay…they weren’t REALLY cream scones, but they would have been good if they were.

They were actually soy milk scones.

Or you could call them vanilla scones.

Or biscuits that are shaped like scones. Then, they’d be bones…or sciscuits. Never mind.

But try the Maple Pecan Butter.

Sweet Cream Scones with Maple Pecan Butter

2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

6 T. sugar (or add 3 T. honey to the milk mixture)

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold

1 1/2 cups cream, milk, or soy milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add vanilla to the cream/milk. Mix with flour mixture. Add additional flour as needed. Knead a few times on a floured surface, then roll into a 12-inch circle. Cut into desired shapes – whether scones or biscuits. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Serve warm with Maple Pecan Butter. Yield: 12-15 biscuits

Maple Pecan Butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 T. sour cream

2 T. pecans, chopped very fine

1 tsp. – 1 T. maple syrup

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine ingredients well. Chill until ready to serve. Yield: maybe 1/2 cup? =)

Enjoy!

~Rachel~

Black Bean Pumpkin Chili

This is pretty much a family favorite. I made it tonight – ’twas as good as ever.

Black Bean Pumpkin Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium yellow sweet pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. oil

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin

2 1/2 cups chopped turkey or ground beef/beef sausage

1/2 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

Saute the onions, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until heated through and ready to serve. Yield: 8-10 servings

Don’t be scared of the pumpkin…you can’t even taste it!

~Rachel~

Chocolate Chai Mini Loaves

I wanted to make a type of mini-loaf, considered a type of apple loaf, then looked at a bunch of quick-breads in a Taste of Home magazine.

This one looked good. It was.

I could go on and on and on about the texture and taste and all that, but you probably don’t care! You can make them and decide for yourself.

Chocolate Chai Mini Loaves

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 T. chai tea latte mix

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 T. butter, softened

1 T. chai tea latte mix

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4-5 T. milk

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cocoa, water, and butter. Microwave on high until butter is melted. Pour into a mixing bowl. Whisk in brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, latte mix, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients; stir until just mixed. Transfer to 3 greased small loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely. For frosting, combine the sugar, latte mix, vanilla, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Yield: 3 mini loaves (6 slices each)

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Do you have any recipes you’d like to share? I’d love to post some! Just e-mail me (see About page), or leave a comment!

God Bless!

Rachel

Speedy Jambalaya

Speedy Jambalaya

1 1/3 cups uncooked long grain rice (we used brown rice)

1 large onion, halved and sliced

1 medium green pepper, sliced

1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 can (15 oz. ) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 lb. fully cooked Italian sausage links, fully cooked*

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil for 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, paprika, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in black beans, black eyed peas, sausage, and parsley; heat through. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice, or stir in rice (that’s what we did…I didn’t see that part!) Yield: 8 servings

*if you don’t want to use pork sausage, follow this easy and delicious recipe for Italian sausage made with beef:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 T. salt

1 T. ground fennel seeds

1 1/2 T. paprika

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. black pepper

3 T. red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 or more hours. Break into large pieces and cook in a skillet. Drain.

I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe!

~Rachel~

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Sometimes I make things I really like.

Sometimes I don’t.

I’m probably posting this recipe because I took pictures before I tasted it.

So…maybe you’ll like the pictures and learn from my mistakes.

[And I even tried to follow the recipe. Well, not TOO close. I was making it healthier and in a different type of pan without raisins. Is that too bad?]

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 T. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, honey, and oil. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; stir until just mixed. Spoon half the batter into a well-greased small bundt pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Spoon the remaining batter on top. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and shake until you feel the sides loosening. Let it sit 10 minutes before inverting it. Yield: 6-8 servings

I’ll tell you why it didn’t turn out good. I thought about replacing the baking soda with 1 T. baking powder. But I didn’t. I thought the acidity of the buttermilk would balance it out. Well, that’s what was wrong. Maybe it was our attempts to make it healthier. Anyway, if you make it, I would suggest you use the baking powder. Or, if you don’t care to make it healthy, just follow the original recipe here. Whatever you do, don’t tell how much I change recipes when I think I’m actually following them.

Enjoy!

~Rachel~

Chili Meatball Supper

Or Chili Meatball Lunch. Whatever you want to call it. It’s the perfect cold-day soup!

Chili Meatball Supper

3 cups onions, chopped (about 3 large onions)

3 large green peppers, chopped

3 15 1/2-oz. cans red kidney beans, drained

3 16-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 12-oz. cans whole kernel corn

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

2 T. chili powder

3 bay leaves

1 T. salt

3 pounds beef meatballs

Cheddar cheese, grated

Corn chips

1. In a large soup pan combine the onion, green pepper, kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, undrained corn, tomato sauce, chili powder, bay leaves, and salt.

2. Bring to boiling; stir in meatballs.

3. Cover and simmer till meatballs are heated through and vegetables are cooked, stirring occasionally. Remove from bay leaves.

4. Serve with cheddar cheese and corn chips.

Yield: 18-20 servings

Note: You don’t have to remove the bay leaves. Whoever gets the bay leaves gets a kiss from the cook! But, please modify this tradition as necessary. =)

~Rachel~

Fudgy Mint Squares

Corrie and I made these for a potluck. I’d have to rate them 10 stars out of 10! Pretty much irresistible.

Fudgy Mint Squares

Brownies:

8 T. butter

3 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, chopped or 1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

Mint Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 T. butter, softened

1 T. cornstarch

1 egg

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. peppermint extract

4 drops green food coloring, optional

Glaze:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream or milk

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate; cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture; mix until blended. Gradually beat in the flour. Spread into a greased 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until top is set.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add cornstarch; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in milk and egg. Add extract and food coloring (if desired). Pour over crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.

In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips and cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips are melted. Cool for 30 minutes or until lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Pour over cream cheese layer. Chill for 2 hours or until set before cutting.  Yield: about 4 dozen

~Rachel~

Banana Orange Streusel Muffins

These muffins have a pleasant flavor, soft texture, and crunchy streusel. I combined two recipes – the Sunrise Banana Muffins from the No Guesswork Cookbook, and Carole’s Favorite Streusel from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins, and More. I must confess they’re not the best muffins we’ve ever made, but they’re yummy.

Banana Orange Streusel Muffins

Muffins:

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

2 T. buttermilk, milk, or soy milk

3 bananas, mashed

2 T. orange juice concentrate

1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Streusel:

3 T. butter, melted

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. Whisk first eight muffin ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

4. In a small bowl, combine the struesel ingredients.

5. Add flour mixture to banana mixture. Mix until just blended – don’t overmix! Pour into prepared muffin pan. Top with streusel.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!

~Rachel~

Flatbread

Corrie and I made these for soft tacos the other night. They’re like a cross between a tortilla and a pita bread. Soft and thick and chewy. I hope you’ll try them! I got the recipe from www.tammysrecipes.com

Flatbread

1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 T. olive oil

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (sift to remove large flakes of bran)

2 cups bread flour (or more as needed)

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a medium mixing bowl.  Add oil, sugar, and yogurt and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add salt, sieved whole wheat flour, and bread flour, and mix until flour is incorporated. Turn dough out of mixing bowl onto a very lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes, adding just enough flour until dough is not sticky but very soft. Allow dough to rise in warm place until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, cut dough into eight equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each ball into a 4-inch circle and let rest for 10 minutes before rolling into a 6-inch circle.

3. Five to ten minutes before cooking flatbreads, heat a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until hot.  Working one at a time, lift dough circles and gently stretch about one inch larger and place in skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on surface of dough, about 30 seconds. Flip bread and cook until bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Flip bread again; cook until bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

4. Wrap breads to a clean kitchen towel and serve warm. Or wrap tightly in foil and store at room temperature up to 2 days; reheat in 300-degree oven until warm, about 15 minutes.

http://tammysrecipes.com/flatbread

~Rachel~