Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the best things about loving to bake is this: you get a craving for something sweet, rummage through your pantry, and find the supplies to make wonderfully delicious cookies, which are warm and gooey from the oven in about 30 minutes. One of the worst things about loving to bake: you get a craving for something sweet, rummage through your pantry, and find the supplies to make wonderfully delicious cookies, which are warm and gooey from the oven in about 30 minutes. It works both ways, you see. I love being able to whip up something tasty in just a few minutes, but lots of times it's just too easy to do that whenever I get a craving. Which happens a lot. Like a few weeks ago, I decided I really wanted some cookies, so I found this recipe on the Internet. Did I need these cookies? Absolutely not. But I had all the ingredients...so why not?
If you're a fan of cranberries and white chocolate you will love these cookies. Of course, they're much better when they're still warm, but once they're cool, they're nice and chewy. (I love a chewy cookie...crispy ones, not so much.)

Cranbery White Chocolate Chop Cookies

Brown Eyed Baker

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown suagar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, bakind soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugards together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the oats, the white chocolate chips, and the dried cranberries.

Roll dough into balls - about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie - and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers. Bake until teh cookies turn slightly golder, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cranberry Banana Bread and a Confession

I'm back with more of my holiday baking recipes! And I have a confession to make. I have made this Cranberry Banana Bread several times for food gifts, yet I have never tasted it. There's something wrong with that, isn't there? This quick bread always gets good reviews, so I've never been concerned about giving it away (well, except for the first time I made it).
I was so close to having a bite this year, but it just didn't happen. As I was counting my mini-loaves of all kinds of bread, I realized that I would have just enough, so I didn't get to snack on any of this one. I know I would love it, though. I am a sucker for all things cranberry, and that's a recent development. For the longest time I was scared of cranberries, for some reasons. To get over my fear, I started putting dried cranberries on my salad (which I now cannot live without) and I've gradually worked up to using whole cranberries in recipes. I don't know why I was ever scared of the tartness of cranberries. I was the kid who ate unripe gooseberries off of my grandmother's gooseberry bush, for crying out loud!

Anyway, I just know this recipe is good. How can a quick bread with cranberries and bananas be anything but? Maybe when we get moved in to the new house, I'll try a batch of this bread just for me. It'll be a nice christening for my new oven!

Cranberry Banana Bread

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup mashed bananas

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsley chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar until completely blended. Add banana, milk, and eggs, mixing well. Add dry ingredients, mixing well, until just moist. Stir in the nuts and cranberries. Spread batter evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Thanksgiving Recap

Thursday afternoon, David and I headed to Mom and Chet's for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. Aside from setting aside time to really consider the many blessings we have in our lives, it's about the food. And I love the food! This year, the celebration involved David and I (of course), Mom and Chet, Allison and Larry (my sister and brother-in-law), and Paul and Marty (Mom and Chet's neighbors). We had quite the spread for the eight of us...by the end of the afternoon, we were stuffed. Here's a recap of the Thanksgiving deliciousness! Chet carved the bird. He brined it overnight, and it was moist and delicious! I focused on the dark meat this year...something new for me. And oh, it was good!
The stove was a busy, busy place! Gravy, broccoli, and noodles up top, and rolls in the oven.

Here's the platter piled high with turkey. This was maybe half of the bird. Again, most and delicious!

One of my favorites...cranberry sauce! This year, Chet made his own, and it was wonderful! It was full of fresh cranberries, apples, pecans, and orange zest. He has promised me the recipe. Oh, it was good!

And the dressing/stuffing...whatever you want to call it. Chet's stuffing is a mixture of cornbread and regular bread (I think). Anyway, it's good. It's not dry and crunchy like some dressing is. This stuff is moist and full of yum!

This is fall broccoli that just came out of Chet's garden last week. I didn't even know you could grow fall broccoli, but now I know. Oh, it was good. I love fresh broccoli.

And noodles! I know...you guys are probably thinking that we're some kind of freaks at Thanksgiving. No mashed potatoes in sight, but we do have broccoli and egg noodles! I never really thought of egg noodles as Thanksgiving food, but when Mom and Chet got married, Chet fixed them for Thanksgiving because his family alway had them with Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah, I thought it was weird at first, but now, they just seem like a part of Thanksgiving. It wouldn't be the same without them. I like to pour dressing over my noodles and dressing, then eat a little noodle and a little dressing at the same time. Carb overload! Yum!

This sweet potato casserole was one of my contributions. I love this stuff. There aren't words to describe how much I adore this stuff. It's really sweet, but I love to have it with holiday (Thankgiving and Christmas) meals. The sweet potatoes are mashed, and then there's the crunchy, sweet topping. Oh, mercy. It's the perfect foil to all the savory stuff. You'll find the recipe at the end of this post.

These yeast rolls are absolutely wonderful. They're Chet's mom's recipe. And they're made with lard. Don't even think about trying to make them without the lard. Chet's pretty much got the recipe down pat, and they are the hit of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've got to learn to make these...it'll force me to get over my fear of yeast.

Here's the holiday table, ready for us to devour everything in sight. See the pretty fruit salad? Paul and Marty brought that, and it was wonderful!

For dessert, I brought this. It's a pumpkin caramel pound cake. I was less than impressed, but I'll post the recipe tomorrow. Paul also brought one of his famous cheesecakes...pumpkin! How in the world I got out of the house without a picture of it is beyond me. I was snapping pictures like a fool. Allison said I was the food paparazzi. Anyway, as you can tell, we were gluttons on Thanksgiving. We ate too much, but it was so nice to spend a lazy Thursday afternoon with family and friends.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cathy Lawrence (my mom)

For the Casserole:

40 oz. sweet potatoes in syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar (you could probably back off to 1 cup)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the Topping:

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup Rice Crispies

1/2 cup crushed nuts (optional, but I always use them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain sweet potatoes well. Mash potatoes, and add sugar, eggs, milk, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish (9x13 is a good size, but I used a 12-inch round tart pan) and bake for 30 minutes. To make the topping, melt the butter and mix in brown sugar, Rice Crispies, and nuts. Spread over sweet potato mixture and return to oven to bake for another 15 minutes.

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisps

I had planned on making these little Cran-Apple Crisps last week for TWD, but life just got in the way, as it is wont to do these days. I finally got around to making them late tonight, just in time for David to have a little snack during the UK game. These were the perfect warm-up for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast.
These little crisps are the perfect fall dessert. The apples, cranberries, and raisins are perfect complements to one another. The crisps aren't too sweet; in fact, it's the tart cranberries that make it work, I think. The crumble on top is wonderful...David said it was his favorite part. With brown sugar, oats, and sweetened shredded coconut, what's not to like?!
Dorie's recipe makes 8 individual crisps, but tonight, I just made two...one for me and one for David. But I made the whole recipe of the crumble topping. I thought it would freeze well and be very handy to have for future impromptu crisps this winter!
Em, of The Repressed Pastry Chef, chose these tasty little desserts as her TWD selection. And her blog is actually right above mine in the TWD blogroll, so we're neighbors! You can check out her blog for the recipe. These came together very quickly and easily, which is always a plus, especially this time of year. Great choice, Em!

TWD: All In One Holiday Bundt Cake

I love bundt cakes. Maybe not quite as much as Mary, The Food Librarian, but they do have a special place in my heart. They're a homey dessert. Simple, not fussy at all. You can frost them, or just dust them with powdered sugar. They're perfect. And I've had my eye on this one ever since I got my copy of Baking: From My Home to Yours...the Dorie Greenspan cookbook that inspired the Tuesdays With Dorie baking group. I love fall flavors, and I love bundts, so this was perfect.
It's full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger...fall spices that I adore. And diced apples, fresh cranberries, pumpkin puree, and pecans. All of the flavors of our favorite holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas!) are in there. What's not to love?! As is the case with all bundts, this one is very simple to put together. Britin, of The Nitty Britty, made a great choice...it's probably what I woudl have chosen, if I didn't happen to be the 251st person in the recipe rotation!

Anyway, I'm very thankful that Laurie has given us permission to bake the recipes out of sequence this month. I wouldn't have had time to make (or acquire the ingredients for) the Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake this week, but I could throw this together in my spare time Sunday night. If you visit the other TWD bakers this month, you'll see that we're all probably baking out of sequence, which I think will be pretty fun and interesting. You'll notice in my pictures that I didn't make the maple icing... and that's because this beautiful bundt is going in the freezer for a future date.

There it is, all wrapped up. I loved the scent of this bundt baking, but it's killing me to not know what it tastes like! I'm keeping it for any number of upcoming holiday events. It might end up at CUB's Thanksgiving potluck, or I might keep it myself for our Thanksgiving dinner. I can't decide. But I do have plans on making another batch of the batter and baking it in my mini loaf pans for Christmas gift. Yum!

Asian Pasta Salad

So you've seen the dismal cupcake failure on Father's Day. You know what makes it even worse? THERE WAS NO DESSERT AT THE FATHER'S DAY PARTY. Nothing. Until David's cousin Connie went home and made cookies! God bless Connie. She's a woman after my own heart. She also made some of that yummy cracker-sugar-chocolate brittle stuff. She saved the day, for sure. You can't have a potluck without dessert!
Anyway, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of the pasta salad I took to the party. I wanted something I could pretty much throw together in about 15 seconds between getting home from church and running to Earl & Shirley's house, and something that didn't have mayo or cheese in it, since I knew it would be sitting out for a lot of the hot and humid Kentucky summer weather. I got out my trusty Taste of Home magazine collection and found this delightful recipe for Asian Chicken Sesame Salad (except I kind of adapted it, as you'll see...namely, there is no chicken involved). It's very simple to put together. There's a simple dressing made from...

canola oil, sugar, pepper, teriyaki sauce, and white wine vinegar. I had also planned to put in some toasted sesame oil, but got addled and forgot it. I really missed it. Then you have the salad ingredients...

bowtie (farfalle) pasta, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, honey roasted peanuts (super-yum), water chestnuts, spinach, green onions, and parsley. All of the ingredients are combined, and you get this:

It was pretty good, but darn it, I wish I had remembered the sesame oil! Here's the recipe...I didn't add the chicken (I didn't figure we'd need it with the rest of the spread at the party), or the sesame seeds (I couldn't bring myself to pay $4.28 for them).

Sesame Chicken Salad

Carolee Ewell, Taste of Home Magazine

16 oz. bowtie pasta

1 cup vegetable/canola oil

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

2/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained

2 cans (8 oz. each) sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1 1/3 cups honey roasted peanuts

9 oz. fresh spinach, torn

6 oz. dried cranberries

6 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup fresh minced parsley

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and place in a very large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, sugar, and pepper. Pour over the pasta and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Just before serving, add the remaining ingredients; gently toss to coat.

Yield: 22 servings (1 cup each)

Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, my stepdad, sister, and I put together a delicious meal for Mom after church today. She requested ham, one of her favorites. Chet made his mom's famous rolls and some macaroni salad, I made a Bluegrass salad, Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheesecake (mom LOVES cheesecake), and Dorie's Tartest Lemon Tart (it's our assignment for this Tuesday). We had quite the feast...we were all gluttons. And I thought I'd milk the meal for all it's worth and use some of the components as posts here on The Sweet Life. By the way, in the picture above, my sister Allison is on the left, Mom is in the middle, and I'm on the right.

Let's get down to business with the Bluegrass Salad, recipe courtesy of my in-laws. Let's start with the salad components. Who shall we invite to this party?

You'll need a couple of hearts of romaine, (maybe you've also got some baby greens from your husband's uncle's garden...if you do, they'd be great), walnuts lightly toasted in butter, some sweetened dried cranberries, a couple of nice pears, and feta cheese. The recipe really calls for blue cheese, but Mom doesn't really care for it, so we're going with feta on this one. We're gonna need some dressing, too. Let's see what we can come up with...

We'll need some extra virgin olive oil, some rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and some Splenda. You'll need to whisk it all together real good, and you've got a fantastic dressing! Toss all of your ingredients together, and you'll have one dynamite salad!
Here's the recipe if it sounds like something you'd like to try. I highly reccommend it! It's fabulous!

Bluegrass Salad

Recipe Courtesty of Earl Orr

For the Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbs. balsamic vinegar

5 pkg. artificial sweetener (if this freaks you out, feel free to sub regular sugar)

Whisk all the ingredients and set aside.

For the Salad:
2 hearts of romaine, chopped
Walnuts, toasted in butter (use as much as you like)
Sweetened dried cranberries (use as much as you like)
Blue Cheese (as much as you like; I used feta instead, which is good, too)
2 D'Anjou Pears, chopped

Mix all ingredients. Top with dressing and mix well to combine. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad...Mmmm!

As promised, I'm here with the Cranberry Chicken Salad recipe that I took to my in-laws yesterday for lunch. Last week, I put a whole chicken in the crockpot before work so we'd have an easy supper when I got home. That night, we made the chicken (which falls apart because it's so moist!) into baked chimichangas. Later in the week, we used some more of the shredded chicken to top a salad (one of David's favorite meals! Who would have thought a meat 'n potatoes kinda guy would love grilled chicken salad?!). We still had about 3 cups of delicious shredded meat in the fridge, so I thought I'd make us a nice chicken salad. I found the recipe on the back of the bag of Mariani Premium Sweetened Dried Cranberries.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I shredded mine)

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Dash of lemon juice

Mayonnaise, to taste

Mix all ingredients together, adding mayonnaise to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.