White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies

Another winner Allrecipes.com recipes - Originally posted by Diane Abed - this recipe makes a great cookie.  It would make a great Holiday cookie or just great at anytime.

Ingredients

1/2 C Butter - room temp

1/2 Packed brown sugar

1/2 White Sugar

1 Egg, room temperature

1 Tbls Brandy (I used dark rum)

1 1/2 C AP Flour

1/2 Teas Baking Soda

3/4 C White Chocolate Chips

1 C Dried Cranberries

Directions

1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees, grease cookie sheets (I used parchment paper)

2 - In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars until smooth.  

Beat in the egg and rum.  Combine flour and baking soda - I sifted it like I always do.  Ad slowly to the butter mixture.  Stir in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. I used a small ice cream scoop a #67 - that holds 2 Tbls.

3 - Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (check them at 8 or 9 minutes) For best results, take them out while they are still doughy.  Allow cookies top cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Cabbage Rolls

This recipe from Allrecipes.com - is another winner.  As always I read through the comments and made some of my own variations based on suggested changes.  Thanks must go out to BJ, the original poster of "Cabbage Rolls II."

Ingredients

1 Head of Cabbage (with at least 12  leaves)

1 C cooked rice

1 Egg beaten

1/4 C Milk (I used cream, it's what I had)

1/2 C Minced Onion

1 LB Lean Ground Beef

1 1/4 Teas Salt

1 1/4 Teas Pepper

1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 Tbls Brown Sugar

1 Lemon

1 Teas Apple Cider Vinegar

1 - 1/2 Onion Soup Mix

3 Cloves minced garlic

1/4 Teas Cinnamon

2-3 Teas Worcestershire Sauce

2-3 Teas Soy Sauce

Directions

1 - Bring a large pot of water to boil - core cabbage head and boil for a few minutes until soft.  Take out of water and run cold water over head to cool.  Separate into leaves.

2 - In a large bowl combine the rice, egg, milk, onion, onion soup mix, salt pepper, garlic, cinnamon and the juice from 1/2 of the lemon.  Mix together very well

3 - In a small bowl mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, the juice of the rest of the lemon, Worcester and Soy sauces, and vinegar - blend together very well.  Add 1/2 C of this sauce to the meat mixture and blend.

4 - Line a baking dish with the smallest leaves on the bottom.  Then take each of the larger leaves and place about 1/4 C or so of the meat mix at the stem end and roll up tucking in the sides and placing into the baking dish seam side down.  Pour sauce over the pan of rolls. 

I put the lid on and cooked it at about 325 degrees for an hour or so until it was bubbling really good.

I filled the baking dish a bit full and it bubbled over - this recipe made a bunch of these suckers and we had it for two meals and a lunch!!

Mud Hen Bars

I found this recipe over at "The Country Cook" on Weekend Potluck - where I was directed over to "Cooking with K" and she adapted it from Mommy's Kitchen - so from wherever it originally came I thank you all!!! ...  I love the Blogs!!!  It is very easy and comes together quickly  I made a couple of small changes....

Mud Hen Bars

Ingredients

1/2 C Butter, room temperature

1 C White Sugar

3 Eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 C AP Flour

1 teas Baking Powder

1/4 teas Salt

1 C Nuts Chopped (I used a mix of walnuts and pecans)

1/2 C Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

1 C Marshmallows (I used miniature, it's what I had)

1 C Brown Sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a medium bowl cream together the white sugar and butter.  Ad 1 whole egg, beat well.  Separate the remaining two eggs - add the yolks one at a time beating well after each addition, reserve egg whites for later use.  In another bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture a little at a time and mix well.  Spread evenly into a greased 9 x 13 pan, Although the original recipe does not call for it I sprayed the pan with "baking " Pam - and was glad I did.  Mix together the marshmallows, nuts and chips and spread evenly over the cake bottom in the pan.

Beat eggs whites until very stiff peaks form.  Fold in the brown sugar and spread evenly over the chips/nuts/marshmallows.  Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes OR until meringue is golden brown and the cake is done.  I would start to check this at about 22 minutes I cooked mine for 30 and it was just a tad too brown - 

Cool in pan before cutting.

Orange Blossoms

Baking Buddies - that works over here also!! - I can remember my mom making these things - and with going home for Christmas and everything I was getting all nostalgic - so I got an hankerin' for some.  I think there are quite a few variations for these and I used probably the simplest of recipes.  Very easy and super with a cuppa!!

Orange Blossoms

Ingredients

Cakes

1 Package yellow Cake mix

1 3.4 oz Package Instant Lemon Pudding Mix

4 Eggs, room temperature

3/4 C Cold Water

3/4 C Oil

Glaze

3 C Icing Sugar

1/2 C Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, Thawed

3 Tbls Melted Butter

3 Tbls Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease one or two miniature muffin pans.  For the cakes, in a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil... beat until well mixed.  

Fill prepared muffin pans, using about 1 tablespoon of batter for each cake.  Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until cakes spring bake when touched.  Repeat until all batter is used up.  I made 5 1/2 dozen of these suckers.

For the glaze, mix the icing sugar, orange juice, butter and water until very smooth: set aside.

Dip the "Blossoms" into the glaze immediately after removing them from the oven.  Place on waxed paper to set and cool.