Peanut Butter Cookies

Funny how we get cravings for certain things.  My cravings have been all over the food pyramid from sweets to savory from Italian to Chinese.  My daughter made peanut butter cookies the other day and they were really good, so hence yet another craving.  I searched the net for some recipes but didn't see much that caught my eye, so I went to my recipe I had and did some doctoring.  This is the end result.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 TBL plain yogurt
1 1/2 cup AP flour
 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup reeses pieces (small for baking)
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup oats

Directions:
Heat oven 375, line your cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
In large bowl with hand mixer or using a stand mixer cream the sugars, butter and peanut butter.  Add  the next three ingredient 1 at a time mix well. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder, mix into the peanut butter mixture.  Add the oats, reeese pieces, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips mix well, scrapping down the sides of the bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Roll dough into walnut size balls and slightly press down.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden.  Let sit on baking sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. (You can sprinkle tops with sugar if desired.

Thanks for taking time to stop by, leave a comment if you wish and Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the THings YOU Love.
Donna

Honey Banana Pecan Bread (healthy version)

And yet another Banana Bread  :)   I saw this recipe on the side of a bag of White Whole Wheat Flour so of course I had to try it.  I did make some changes, my changes are  in red.  This is a very moist and flavorful bread.  Hope you give it a try.

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar (2/3 cup sugar)
1/3 cup honey 
1/4 tsp orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 3)
1/2 cup veg. oil
1/3 cup milk (1/4 cup half n half 1/4 cup water)
1/2 cup pecan chopped and toasted 

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 and spray a 9x5 loaf pan, set aside.  Whisk dry ingredients, set aside.  In mixer or with hand held mixer mix the eggs, sugar, honey, bananas, vanilla, peel, oil and milk, get them well incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix only until incorporated, DO NOT over-mix.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into prepared loaf pan, bake for 55-65 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on rack then remove from pan.  Try not to cut until it's cooled a bit.  I know it's hard but be patient.  :)

  Hope you give this a try it is worth making.  You could also add some ingredients to this recipe if you like, such as chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, cranberries.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU love.
Donna

Apple Coffee Cake

This cake is very moist and delicious.  It takes not time to put to together and would make a wonderful addition to your recipes.  A great cake to serve when you have guests either for breakfast or after a meal.  Give it a try.  
Printable
Ingredients:
for the cake-
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  2/3cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup peeled, diced apple (1/4 inch pieces)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the streusel-
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts
for the glaze-
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons softened margarine or butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk, or enough to make it a glazing consistency

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Toss in apple pieces and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout mixture. Sprinkle over top of cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.
This is the cake before the drizzle.  Looks good and could be served this way also.

Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached. Un-hinge spring form pan and place cake on serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.
Thanks for stopping by and taking time from you busy day.  Have a wonderful weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Michael Symon's Lemon Chicken with Fried Potatoes

This is a very yummy recipe and doesn't take a lot of prep time.  I saw Micheal Symon make this on the Chew so of course I had to try it.  If you have not seen "The Chew" you should take the time to watch an episode or two.  They have great recipes and tips, the show is filled with lots of helpful information not just cooking.  The potatoes are shown below.


adapted from The Chew - Michael Symon
6-8 chicken thighs
2 cups Lemon Juice
1 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic (sliced)
1/4 Cup Fresh Oregano (leaves only - chopped)
Salt and Pepper

instructions Preheat oven to 400F.

ingredients:

6-9 chicken thighs
2 cups Lemon Juice
1 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic (sliced)
1/4 Cup Fresh Oregano (leaves only - chopped)
Salt and Pepper

instructions:

  Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 4 hours.

Instructions:

 Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, skin side down. Flip the chicken over, then pour the remaining marinade into the pan and immediately transfer to the hot oven. Roast until chicken finishes cooking through, about 15 minutes.

ingredients:

 4 Potatoes (scrubbed and sliced into 1/2-inch thick disks or chunks)
Vegetable Oil (to fry)
Salt and Pepper

instructions Preheat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a cast iron pan. Arrange the potatoes in the pan and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, and season with salt and pepper while still hot.

You can put pan sauce over the chicken to serve. Garnish to taste with parsley.

Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Angel Biscuits

I found this recipe on pinterest and decided to give them a try. I made them for Easter Dinner.   You will need to plan ahead because this recipe takes 24 + hours because you put your dough in the fridge overnight.  It's not a fussy recipe just a waiting recipe. 
I made these with a combination of white whole wheat flour and regular AP flour.  Personally I think they would have been much better with just the white flour.  They seemed a bit heavy to me.  Everyone liked them even though.
Printable 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons warm water
one (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast (if using bulk 2 1/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon sugar, plus ¼ cup
5 cups self-rising flour (can make own **)
¾ cup vegetable shortening
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken (can make own see below **)
all-purpose flour, for shaping and rolling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the tops

Instructions:

Place the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the yeast and stir in 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the flour. Using a pastry blender, cut the shortening and butter into the flour until the mixture is the size of peas. Add the yeast mixture and buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together. Sprinkle over a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour over the dough and gently knead until the dough is soft (add more flour as necessary). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. With floured hands, pinch off a small amount of dough and lightly roll into a smooth 2-inch ball; place on the prepared baking sheets. Cover the biscuits loosely with buttered (or use cooking spray) plastic and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours or more.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the biscuits with some melted butter and bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and upcoming weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You Love.
Donna