Molasses Crinkles

My Dad was always the one making cookies in my family when I was growing up.  One of his recipes was Molasses Crinkles.  Many years ago my Mom compiled all the family recipes into a binder for my siblings and I and the Molasses Crinkles recipe is in the section marked Mom's Favorites.  The recipe is simple and produces very yummy cookies.  I don't buy shortening and the original recipe calls for it.  I used coconut oil and they turned out amazing and were eaten as quickly as they were made.

These cookies are perfect for the Fall weather we have been having here, and they remind
me of my childhood.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cold Coconut Oil
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Molasses
5 cups All Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
White Granulated Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.

In a seperate bowl combine, coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses using a wooden spoon.

Add combined wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Form dough into walnut sized balls and roll in white granulated sugar.

Place cookie dough on parchment lined sheet pans.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes,  until golden brown on the bottom.  

Flatten baked cookies with back of spatula and allow to rest for 2 minutes before
 transferring to a plate.

Enjoy!

Molasses Crinkles

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cold Coconut Oil
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Molasses
5 cups All Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
White Granulated Sugar

Process:

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.

In a seperate bowl combine, coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses using a wooden spoon.

Add combined wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Form dough into walnut sized balls and roll in white granulated sugar.

Place cookie dough on parchment lined sheet pans.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, golden brown on the bottom.  

Flatten baked cookies with back of spatula and allow to rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a plate.

Enjoy!

Pão de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread)

My friend Gal is from Brazil and she has made Brazilian Cheese Bread many times.  I have wanted to attempt to make the rolls, and I finally did.  The local asian market I go to had the tapioca flour needed to make these the traditional way.  I found the real Brazilian cheese at a Brazilian market that Gal recommended.  The typical recipe is yummy, but my husband and I agreed they were bland, so I added more cheese.  

These are delicious warm served with the Feijoada (Black Bean Stew).  My husband
 will tell you they are great in soup.

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 cups (10 ounces) Tapioca Flour or Cassava Flour
2 Eggs
2 cups Minas Cheese (Parmesan cheese can also be used)

Preheat oven to 450 Fairenheit.

Heat milk, oil, and salt in medium sauce pan over medium heat just until bubbles
come to surface. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and add all flour and mix until no more flour is dry.

A wooden spoon is easier to use to stir mixture.

Either continue stirring with spoon or transfer to a mixing bowl with attached paddle.

Mix until the dough has cooled enough to touch.

Whisk eggs and pour half mixture into dough and mix until combined and add
remaining beaten eggs.

Remove paddle and use whisk.  Set the mixer on medium and beat the mixture until
smooth and elastic.

Add all the cheese and whisk until combined.

Prepare two sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  

Portion dough with small ice cream scoop, or tablespoon and roll into balls.

Place sheet pans with puffs in the oven.  Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 Fahrenheit.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they have puffed and are dry on the outside and just begin to color.

                                      

Enjoy!

Pão de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread)

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 cups (10 ounces) Tapioca Flour or Cassava Flour
2 Eggs
2 cups Minas Cheese (Parmesan cheese can also be used)

Process:

Preheat oven to 450 Fairenheit.

Heat milk, oil, and salt in medium sauce pan over medium heat just until bubbles come to surface. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and add all flour and mix with a wooden spoon until no more flour is dry.

Either continue stirring with spoon or transfer to a mixing bowl with attached paddle.

Mix until the dough has cooled enough to touch.

Whisk eggs and pour half mixture into dough and mix until combined and add remaining beaten eggs.

Remove paddle and use whisk.  Set the mixer on medium and beat the mixture until smooth and elastic.

Add all the cheese and whisk until combined.

Prepare two sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  

Portion dough with small ice cream scoop, or tablespoon and roll into balls.

Place sheet pans with puffs in the oven.  Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 Fah renheit.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they have puffed and are dry on the outside and just begin to color.

Enjoy!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Remember when I made almond butter? I had this great idea to make cookies with the almond butter. I couldn't just make simple cookies, these cookies were meant to be unique.  Keep in mind these are my own creation.  The recipe will include some ideas for how to make the cookies with alternate ingredients.  These cookies are even gluten free, go me.

Cookies, cookies, these cookies are even Cookie Monster approved.

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Butter
4 Eggs
1 1/3 cup Oat Flour (quick cooking oats can be substituted)
4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 cups Light Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Whisk almond butter, and brown sugar in mixer bowl until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and whisk to combine, then add vanilla and whisk.

Mix flour (or quick cooking oats) and baking soda and add to creamed sugar and almond butter.  Whisk until combined.

Using a wooden spoon stir in chocolate chips.

Bake cookies on greased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes. 

COOKIES! Me like cookies!

Enjoy!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Butter
4 Eggs
1 1/3 cup Oat Flour (quick cooking oats can be substituted)
4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 cups Light Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Chocolate Chips

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Whisk almond butter, and brown sugar in mixer bowl until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and whisk to combine, then add vanilla and whisk.

Mix flour (or quick cooking oats) and baking soda and add to creamed sugar and almond butter. Whisk until combined.

Using a wooden spoon stir in chocolate chips.

Bake cookies on greased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Ham & Bean Soup

Maybe it's the nesting instinct, or maybe pregnancy cravings.  Either way I wanted to make this recipe. Most of us grew up with a certain red label soup brand made famous by a certain artist.  One of the soups I enjoyed from those red label cans was Ham and Bean soup.  I don't buy canned soup anymore, so that left me with my all time favorite cooking.  Taking recipes that are traditionally pre-packaged and canned that I grew up with, and making them the old fashioned way. This way is so thrilling for me.  You don't have to agree with me, it's okay.  This is a simple recipe, truthfully, so why wouldn't you try it at least once.

All that ham and beans, oh my goodness yes!

Warning, IGNORE the potatoes they were photo bombing.

Ingredients:

1 lb. soaked/brined Navy Beans

1 large Yellow Onion

1 large Carrot

4 cloves Garlic

2 lbs. Smoked Sliced Ham

Water

Peel and dice onion and carrot.

Cut ham into one inch pieces.

Place all ingredients in pressure cooker pan, add enough water to have 13 cups.

Set pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes.   Allow pressure to naturally release.

Enjoy!

Ham & Bean Soup

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 lb. soaked/brined Navy Beans
1 large Yellow Onion
1 large Carrot
4 cloves Garlic
2 lbs. Smoked Sliced Ham
Water

Process:

Peel and dice onion and carrot.

Cut ham into one inch pieces.

Place all ingredients in pressure cooker pan, add enough water to have 13 cups.

Set pressure cooker on high for 30 minutes, allow pressure to naturally release.

Enjoy!

Corn Pudding

A few weeks ago I bought a huge, gigantic bag of corn on the cob from a Long Island farm market. When I say gigantic I mean 55-60 ears of corn.  Yes, you read correctly.  This bag of corn was needing to be eaten, so I went on a recipe hunt for any main dish, side dish, dessert, anything to use this corn.  This recipe has my husband's approval, so I figure that is a seal of approval for posting here.  When I was looking at other corn pudding recipes, I determined it would be easy to condense and have a small ingredient list and still achieve the same end results.  

Do you like sweet corn?   This is the a great way to eat it.

Ingredients:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup Water
1 stick of Butter
1/2 Maseca (Cornmeal can be substituted)
3 ears of Fresh Corn removed from Cob
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Place oven proof dish in oven with 1/2 stick of butter, melt butter in dish.

Fill medium pan with water and bring to boil over high heat.  Add salt, stir and add corn.
Boil for 1 minute and drain in colander.

Place corn in oven proof dish with butter.

Mix milk, water, and Maseca. Pour over corn.

Thinly slice remaining butter on to top of the corn mixture.

Bake corn pudding for thirty minutes or until golden brown around the edge.

Enjoy!

Corn Pudding

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup Water
1 stick of Butter
1/2 Maseca (Cornmeal can be substituted)
3 ears of Fresh Corn on the Cob
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

Process:

Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Place oven proof dish in oven with 1/2 stick of butter, melt butter in dish.

Fill medium pan with water and bring to boil over high heat.  Add salt, stir and add corn.  

Boil for 1 minute and drain in collander.

Place corn in oven proof dish with butter.

Mix milk, water, and Maseca.  Pour over corn.

Thinly slice remaining butter and place on top of the corn mixture.

Bake corn pudding for thirty minutes or until golden brown around the edge.

Enjoy!

Avocado Salsa

As many of you already know, I am originally from California.  I was born and raised in California. Two years ago, on October 20, we moved to Queens New York.  One of my favorite restaurant condiments from my California days comes from the restaurant El Pollo Loco.  Sadly they don't have a location here.  The condiment in question is their Avocado Salsa.  I wanted that avocado salsa to go with my pork and potato flautas.  This recipe is my take on the salsa, since I did not have the ingredients for the copycat recipe I found online.  This avocado salsa is better than the restaurant sauce, at least I think it is.  

Silky, creamy, lime flavored, avocado goodness waiting to be paired with your favorite
 Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1 ripe Hass Avocado
2 Limes
1/4 of Yellow Onion
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Cup Water
1/2 Avocado Oil( can be substituted with Canola or Vegetable Oil)

Remove avocado from skin and place in blender along with rough chopped onion and the
other ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

 That's it, you now have avocado salsa.

Pour salsa into lidded container to store in the refrigerator, if you have any left after the meal.

Enjoy!

Avocado Salsa

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 ripe Hass Avocado
2 Limes
1/4 of Yellow Onion
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Cup Water
1/2 Avocado Oil( can be substituted with Canola or Vegetable Oil)

Process:

Remove avocado from skin and place in blender along with rough chopped onion and the other ingredients.

Blend until smooth.

Pour salsa into lidded container.  Serve right away or refrigerate.

Enjoy!