Three Cheese Pasta Bake

I had to take my computer to the "Tech Doctors" this past week.  Poor thing had a terrible virus.  But it's all well now and thank goodness so I can tell you all about this wonderful macaroni and cheese dish.  I make this pasta bake quite often because it is delicious, easy to prepare and the ultimate in comfort food.  I love the combination of the 3 cheeses:  White Cheddar, Gruyere & Parmesan.  We usually eat it as the main dish and have some vegetables or a salad to go with it.  It's also a great weeknight meal because it doesn't take long to make.  If you like macaroni and cheese, you must try this version.  I found this recipe in Southern Living magazine and you can print the recipe from the Myrecipe.com website.  Click here for the recipe.  

Speaking of cheese, we all love cheese in my house.  Do you know who else loves cheese?

Maximus and MJ, that's who!  My 2 Boston Terriers are under my feet every time I take my box grater out and start shredding cheese.  But, do you know what happens when you give a Boston Terrier cheese?  Let's just say it's a gassy situation! 

I'm sorry....I guess that was WAY too much information.  Well, I'll finish up by sharing some yummy photos of the Three Cheese Pasta Bake.

Cheesy and creamy!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Gruyere cheese is a swiss cheese that is made from cow's milk.  It is a hard, yellow cheese and it was named after the town of Gruyeres in Switzerland.  It's a good melting cheese which makes it perfect in this Pasta Bake.

Cookie Exchange by Cooking Light's Virtual Supper Club

I smell cookies in the air.  It's that time of year for baking up all sorts of cookies and there is nothing like a home baked cookie.  Welcome to the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's December theme of Cookie Exchange.  Five bloggers come together once a month to present a themed supper club menu.  I love baking so I was excited about this month's theme (but honestly I get excited about every month's theme).  I wasn't sure how cookies would be "light".  Most of Cooking Light's cookie recipes use less sugar, butter and eggs than a full fat cookie.  All the things you think should be in a cookie.  So, was I a little skeptical?....yes!

I chose a Slice and Bake Cookie called Raspberry Strippers.  They were rated 5 stars (Outstanding) on Myrecipes.com.  Well, I have to say, we rated these cookies Outstanding as well.  These were fun cookies to make.  The cookie was tender and the combination of the raspberry filling with the glaze on top made it really special.  Within 15 minutes of my husband coming home from work, he had already eaten 4 of them (that's ok since they are low fat, right?).  They lasted less than 2 days in the house.  I guess that means I have to make another batch.  These are perfect for a cookie exchange party because they are pretty and everyone will think you are an amazing baker.  Little secret....they are easy to make.

 Click here for the Raspberry Stripper recipe on Myrecipes.com   

See what the other Virtual Supper Club members brought.  We got to "exchange" some really good cookies.  Also, read about us on Cooking Light's blog, Test Kitchen Secrets.

Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch - Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints 

Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen - Peppermint Patties  

Val from More Than Burnt Toast - Orange Walnut Tassies 

Helene from La Cuisine d' Helene - Maple Date Bars    

Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club - Raspberry Strippers   

Did you know that today, December 4th is National Cookie Day.  Celebrate this time of year by baking and sharing home baked cookies.  Not only will you carry on traditions and create memories but you will put a smile on the recipient's face.

  See some more pictures below on the baking of my cookie.  Note:  the only change I made to the cookie recipe was to use an entire egg instead of just the egg white.  I think using the whole egg made the cookie tender and moist without adding that much more to the fat content.  

Divide the cookie dough into 2 equal parts

Roll each dough ball into 12 inch logs

Place dough logs on cookie sheet and take a wooden spoon handle or your fingers to make an indentation down the length of the dough.

This is the raspberry preserves that I used.  You can use a variety of other jam flavors, like strawberry, apricots or cherry.

Fill the "trench" with the fruit preserves.

Drizzle the glaze over the baked cookies before cutting in diagonal slices (I used almond extract in the glaze but you can also use vanilla extract)

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Cookinglight.com has some very good cookie articles such as Cookie Swap and Cookie Basics.  Give some of these lighter cookie versions a try.  You may be surprised at the results. 

Ginger Cookies

I'm back from a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to South Carolina where we visited and spent time with some of my husband's family. Now that Christmas is around the corner, I have alot of cookie baking to do. My sister, Paula, made these cookies last year for a cookie exchange party. She passed on the recipe to me and I have made them several times. Everybody loves them and they are gone in a blink of the eye. They are called Big Soft Ginger Cookies. They have a great ginger and spice flavor and they do stay soft. The cookie dough comes together quickly and the recipe states it makes 24 cookies but I got closer to 30 cookies.

Click here for the Big Soft Ginger Cookie recipe on Allrecipes.com

Form dough in balls and roll in sugar. I use a small glass bowl to press down the cookie dough. You could use a drinking glass as well.

Take a tin of these cookies to your next cookie exchange party. They are also perfect to give to teachers, co-workers, neighbors, your hairdresser, or friends and family.

Enjoy!

Issaqueena Falls - Walhalla, South Carolina

I'd like to give a shout out to my husband Mike. Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. It seems like yesterday (well, sometimes) that we just got married. You are truly my best friend Mike and I'm lucky to have you as my partner through this crazy but wonderful life. I love you!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: Ok, enough of the mushy talk and back to the cookie recipe. This cookie dough is sticky so it is best to put the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before forming and rolling in the sugar. With this batch, I made the cookie dough in the morning, put the bowl in the refrigerator, ran my errands for the day and made the cookies in the afternoon. No problems with stickiness.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate and White Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies

I wanted to share a cookie classic before leaving to visit family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I grew up with Nestle Toll House Cookies. We would use the recipe on the back of the Nestle Chocolate Chip bag. I can't remember when the pan cookie variation came out but what a way to have your favorite chocolate chip cookie.....as a bar cookie. I haven't made these in so long. I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies but didn't feel like making all those cookies. Then I remembered the pan cookie variation. Spread all the dough in a baking pan, bake, cut in squares and your chocolate chip cookie craving is satisfied.

Slight variation to recipe: I had some leftover white chocolate chips that I wanted to use up. I had about 1/2 cup of the white morsels and I mixed that with 1 1/2 cups of the semi-sweet chocolate morsels. We loved the addition of the white chocolate chips. You really can't go wrong with any chip variation you use. Kids love these pan cookies. If you want a quick treat for your Thanksgiving dessert table, then don't forget about these classic bar cookies that everyone remembers and loves.

Click here for Nestle Toll House Pan Cookie recipe on the Verybestbaking.com website

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be back after the Thanksgiving holiday with more cookie recipes just in time for Christmas.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: Sometimes the best recipes can be found on the back of cans, bags and boxes of food. Classics that you grew up with that can be passed down to your family or updated recipes that become new traditions.

Pear Crisp

I have been craving a fruit dessert, so when I saw this Pear Crisp on The Pioneer Woman's site, I knew I had to make it right away. In the food blogging world, I'm sure everyone has heard of The Pioneer Woman. But if you have never heard of her or checked out her blog, you must do so for wonderful recipes, photos and her funny life on the ranch.

This is a very easy dessert to make with fantastic results. My husband said, "This is unbelievable". We had leftovers for a few days and it was still just as good reheated. The bits of crunchy crumble with the warm soft pears and the vanilla ice cream melting in is a bit of dessert magic. If you like pears and you like fruit desserts, you will love this Pear Crisp.

Click here for the printable recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Chop the pecans very small

Right out of the oven

A spoonful of Pear Crisp.....what do you think? Doesn't it look good.


My new favorite dessert

Enjoy!

Extra Side Note: Click here to read about November's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club on the Cooking Light Blog: Test Kitchen Secrets

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: I served the pear crisp in small ramekins (about 4 inches across) that I had bought a few years ago at Target for $1.99. These are great for portion control. If I would have picked a bigger bowl, I know I would have filled it up. The ramekins kept things at a more reasonable amount. Now, if you go back for seconds, that's something I can't control. These are many great uses for these little bowls, so I would recommend them for your kitchen.

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Presents Appetizers, Small Plates/Tapas

Welcome to another month of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. I can't believe another month has gone by. Why does this time of year just pass by so quickly? Our November theme is Appetizers & Small Plates/Tapas. All these appetizers would be a great addition to your holiday party or family gathering. I hope we have given you some ideas to try this holiday season or anytime you are needing inspiration for small bites.

I chose 2 recipes this month. Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie and Mini Crab Cakes w/Herbed Aioli. Both were fantastic. I would highly recommend you give them a try. I had some help filling up my appetizer plate from the other members of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. Here is what they made:

Helene (La Cuisine d'Helene) - Grilled Pepper Poppers

Aggie (Aggie's Kitchen) - West Indies Shrimp & Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas

Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Windowpane Potato Chips & Sliders with Shallot-Dijon Relish

Shelby (The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch) - Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

Jamie (Mom's Cooking Club) - Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie & Mini Crab Cakes with Herbed Aioli

Visit these wonderful blogs for the details and photos on their dishes.

Click here for the Brie recipe

Click here for the Mini Crab Cakes recipe

This is the Brie that I used for my Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie

There is just something special about the combination of cheese, fruit and nuts. This is extremely simple and quick to make. Cut off the top rind of the cheese. Place your toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and thyme on top. Pop in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes and out comes this..........

Melty, gooey, unbelievably delicious cheese!

I just had to show you one more picture. We served this with a variety of crackers. We loved it with Sea Salt Bagel Chips. That's my husband digging in. I will be making this Brie for our family gathering at Thanksgiving. It's going to be a good day.

My second appetizer are these fun mini crab cakes. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland so I grew up with Maryland style crab cakes. This recipe was a little different from my standard crab cakes I make but we loved the variation. I did add 2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning. Being a former Maryland girl, you just have to use your Old Bay Seasoning. The seasoned mayonnaise (aioli) was perfect with the crab cakes.

Enjoy!!!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: A little history.....Appetizers are food items, usually small portions, served before the main course. Also known as Hors d'oeuvre and are served at many reception and cocktail parties. The equivalent of hors d'oeuvre in Spain is called Tapas. In Italian cuisine, it is referred to as Antipasto. In Russian cuisine, it is called Zakuski and usually consists of cured meats and fishes, pickled vegetables, prepared salads and breads. The term Zensai is a Japanese hors d'oeuvre. To me, appetizers are a great way to try different bites of food and a way to get people mingling, talking and just enjoying each other's company.

Black-Bottom Banana Bars

Ok, so I had a bowl filled with "past their prime" bananas. I could have made my go-to banana bread or some banana muffins. But I wanted to try something new so I took out a new cookbook my husband gave me for my birthday last month, Taste of Home Cookies, and searched for recipes using bananas. I came across these Black-Bottom Banana Bars in the Delectable Bars section.

Well, these cake bars were a hit. We all loved them. (even my picky eater Mariah who doesn't like banana bread went crazy over these, go figure) They stay moist for days. I've already made these twice. And will definitely be making again!

Click here for Black-Bottom Banana Bars recipe

Take a pan of these Black-Bottom Banana Bars to your next holiday gathering, a teacher's breakfast, to welcome a new neighbor, a potluck or an afternoon snack for your kids. These are great anytime and any season.



Enjoy!


Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: This recipe calls for a 13x9 in pan. I used an 11x7 in pan because I wanted my bars thicker. I just added about 10 minutes more to the baking time.