Crock Pot Roast Chicken--SRC

Secret Recipe Club is a great way to meet new bloggers and have fun along the way. Each month you are assigned a blog and then you have several weeks to 'stalk' this blog. That is the fun part--I looked at page after page on Megan's blog Cooking Whim's. Each page was full of great stuff! I really liked Megan's blog because it has something for everyone. Healthy dishes, product reviews, yummy desserts, restaurant finds and so much more.
Megan has some fun 'getting to know me' blog posts. Megan has red hair, is recently married to her high school sweetheart and loves her nightly workout (so she can eat what she wants). Megan has a love affair with all things pumpkin--I pinned many recipes for fall baking. 
So many recipes on Megan's Blog looked delicious but is is still very cold in Utah. I was intrigued with her Crock Pot Roast Chicken, it was as delicious as she described. I will never buy another Costco Rotisserie chicken again. It was so simple.

 Megan's Crock Pot Roast Chicken
 Mix together:
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Rinse roasting chicken and dry. Rub seasoning mixture all over bird. 
Quarter an onion and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Make 4 or 5 balls of aluminum foil about the size of golf balls. Place in the bottom of the crock pot--this will keep the chicken from sitting in its juices. Place the chicken on top of foil ball and onion. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, lower heat and cook till meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Depending on the size of the bird this will take 4-5 hours. Watch closely, over cooking will dry out the bird and nobody wants a dry bird!
We enjoyed this chicken with roasted veggies. There was plenty of chicken left over for Chicken Pot Pies.
I have some fun spice blends in my spice cupboard. I can't wait to try this bird many ways. It's another great way to use your slow cooker. Thank you Megan!
[Printable Recipe]

Pistachio, White Chocolate, Cherry Cookies SRC

SRC is a wonderful place to meet new bloggers. You are assigned a blog each month--you then have the fun of 'stalking' said blog. I love to spend time at my new friends home. This month I was assigned the blog Food Baby Life. It is written by the delightful Susan from Australia. She has two darling boys. Susan has been a member of the Tuesdays With Dorie and Baking with Julia so I was familiar with many of the delicious recipes on her blog.  I could have easily remade World Peace Cookies and been happy. But Susan has many recipes on her blog that beg baking!
I found myself in the cookie section of her blog--surprise, surprise! Cookies are my weakness (actually one of many). I found myself returning often to a Christmas Cookie--now I know it's not Christmas but we have had so much snow lately it feels like it!  I chose her Pistachio, White Chocolate, Cherry Cookies. These were a party in my mouth! So many flavors and textures; sweet white chocolate, tart dried cherries and the crunch of pistachios. These cookies do have red and green in them but I will be making them year round. Thanks Susan for a new addition to my cookie list!
I made the cookies as per Susan's recipe. I did use dried cherry's instead of dried cranberries--that is what I had. I also got to change my scale to grams and had to research Celsius/Fahrenheit conversions. It was all part of the fun!

Pistachio, White Chocolate, Cherry Cookies 
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
120 g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup roasted, salted pistachios, chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Carefully mix in the dry ingredients then fold  in the oats, pistachios, cherries, and white chocolate.

Roll the dough into balls and place on baking sheet.  Flatten the top of each cookie with your fingers, then bake approximately 10 minutes or until slightly golden on top.  Allow to cool 4 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Cheddar and Green Onion Biscuits--SRC

It's good to be a member of the Secret Recipe Club again. The SRC is a great way to meet new bloggers and try new recipes. This month I was fortunate to get to know Healthy. Delicious. I enjoyed getting to know Lauren. She reminded me a lot of myself. We both grew up cooking and following our Mom around the kitchen. Planning and cooking dinner was something we both enjoyed from early on. Lauren is young enough to be my daughter--that is where we differ! Lauren has been blogging for over 6 years--that is commitment. Her recipe focus is on non-processed foods, fruit and veggies in season and weeknight meals that can be ready in 40 minutes! Spend a while on Laurens blog--you will be glad you did.

I am going to make the Baked Buffalo Chicken Taquitos when my daughter comes to visit. I needed a quick, simple meal so I scanned the blog and found a recipe for Cheddar and Green Onion Biscuits. Now you need to know that biscuits are my hubby's love language. I have made many recipes over the years and found that successful biscuits need a light hand. I used my food processor to make these gems and they were in the oven in minutes.

The cheese and green onions were a great combo. I sliced the warm biscuits added a thin slice of ham and a little drizzle of honey mustard sauce. A fresh fruit salad finished this
delicious meal and I had it on the table in under 40 minutes. These biscuits would be a great side for soup or stew. Add a slice of bacon or a sausage patty and you have a delicious breakfast. So many possibilities.

Green Onion and Cheddar Biscuits
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
dash of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 stick of butter (2 ounces)
1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese-- I used Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheese
3/4 cup milk--I used 1%
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
In food processor mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add chunks of butter and pulse just till you have a fine, crumbly texture with pea size lumps of butter. Add the milk, cheese, green onion and garlic powder. Pulse a few times till just mixed. Do not over mix. Drop 1/4 cup portions of batter on parchment lined sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 17-19 minutes, do not over bake. Serve warm. They are also yummy split and toasted. Makes 12 delicious biscuits. Master biscuits and make your family happy! 
Thanks Lauren--I have a new blogging buddy! 

SRC Fresh Mango Salsa

Fresh Mango Salsa

2 cups diced mango, fresh

1/2 cup diced red pepper

3 tablespoons diced jalapeno pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice from 1 large lime

Salt to taste

Mix together and chill.

This delicious recipe comes inspired from Secret Recipe Club blogger Shirley. I've had a great time getting to know Shirley thru her blog Enriching Your Kid. I think she is from India, she is a Clinical Psychologist by profession but now a stay at home mother with young children. She is passionate about feeding her children delicious nutritious meals. Her blog chronicles these recipes. Having raised 6 children I know the challenges facing parents as they strive to serve nutritious meals. I have nothing but praise for parents that make eating healthy a priority. 
 Many of the ingredients in Shirley's blog were unfamiliar to me. But I think salsa is a universal food. There are many different varieties of mangoes at her market. I think I have seen two different types here. Thanks to Costco we can get mangoes most anytime. Ripe mangoes are sweet and delicious; add just a few extra ingredients and you have a yummy treat. This salsa is great on chicken or fish but I like to just eat it with chips!
The Secret Recipe Club is a great way to meet new bloggers.  

Barbeque Pizza--Secret Recipe Club

The Secret Recipe Club is a great place to find new blogging friends. You are assigned a blog, you have several weeks to stalk that blog and decide what yummy recipe you will make. On reveal day you post the recipe and give a shout out to the 'secret' blog! My blog this month was Ma, What's for Dinner?  Boy can I relate to this gal. I may be an empty nester now but I do have 6 children. They were all young once and dinner was there every day!! Alex has some great kid friendly recipes. She even has a cookbook. So if you have kids this is a blog you will enjoy. Alex also has some fun craft projects.
I will have a houseful of grand children this week. I'm sure I will turn to Ma, What's for Dinner?
I made BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was delicious--a crowd pleaser for sure!
Alex's recipe looked yummy, she made her own barbeque sauce. But I was in a hurry so I took a few shortcuts. I also scaled the recipe down to feed two. I still came up with a BBQ Chicken Pizza that we both enjoyed. I will make Alex's sauce soon--it looks delish.

Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza
1  ball pizza dough, purchased or homemade. I have used both but we just prefer homemade. I use Pioneer Woman's recipe. I love that it can hang out in the fridge for a few days. I make a batch and divide it into 3 balls. This makes a perfect size pizza for two. This dough freezes great too. I love having pizza dough in the freezer--it's a jump start to a great meal.
1-2 cups chicken, grilled or from a rotisserie chicken
1/3-1/2 cup barbeque sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's is our choice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Olive oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil on a pizza stone roll dough as thin as you like it! We like thin crust pizza. Brush dough with olive oil. Bake in very hot oven until dough just begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
Mix together chicken, barbeque sauce and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro.
Scatter chicken mixture over partial baked dough. Top with onion and pepper. Bake about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over pizza and bake a few more minutes until melted.
Whisk together sour cream, lime juice and remaining cilantro.
Serve pizza with sauce! It's delicious.

Why the sauce??? My son always pulls out the ranch dressing when we have pizza. He insists in dipping his pizza in ranch! I was reading in a America's Test Kitchen cookbook. They suggested serving this Lime Cilantro sauce with Barbecue Chicken  pizza. I tried it--it's a winner. So I guess my son isn't the only one who 'dips' his pizza!
I just realized that last month I also made Pizza for SRC! It was a Thai Chicken Pizza. I can't tell you how many times I've made it! So SRC really is a great place to find new and exciting recipes.

Thai Chicken Pizza--SRC

 I feel like I hit the SRC jackpot this month. The Secret Recipe Club gives one the opportunity to meet a new blogger, spend some time--lots of time in my case-- in their blog and finally make a recipe from their blog. The Inquiring Chef is Jess. Jess is one lucky lady;  she and her hubby Frank are on a job assignment in Bangkok Thailand.
 So, while I shop at Walmart and eat at Taco Amigo and Rumbi's Jess and Frank are living in a city I could only dream of.  The Inquiring Chef is full of a wide variety of recipes, several I want to try. But the photos of everyday life are more than interesting. Spend a few moments in Jess's blog and you will be transported to another way of life. Thanks Jess for allowing me to virtually spend some time in Thailand.

And now for the food; Jess is a great cook! Friday--Pizza Night is a great tradition. Many families look forward to eating Pizza on Friday. We enjoy our pizza night as do Frank and Jess. When looking for a recipe to make on Jess's blog I had to check out the list of 'my favorite recipes'. On it was listed Thai Chicken Pizza. Not really a recipe she learned in Thailand but one she could easily find the ingredients for. This pizza looked too good to pass. I have been making Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust forever. It's delicious, easy to make and great to work with. We made curry the night before so many of the ingredients were ready. My additions are noted in red. The pizza was over the top delicious, we want more for breakfast! This will be made often on Friday Pizza Night. Soon I will make it outside on the grill.
Thanks Jess for keeping a blog of your journeys; I can't wait to follow the remainder of your Thailand experience. I'm also excited to make the Maria Sinskey’s Gougères.

Thai Chicken Pizza
1 pizza dough recipe, enough for at least 3 pizzas (I like Pioneer Woman's recipe)
The topping measurements are for 3 pizzas.
3 T olive oil, divided
1 red onion, cut into thin strips
1 cup green onion, white and green parts roughly chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 1/2 cup chicken, roasted or sauteed and chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded or cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (not really Thai but a small amount of cheese was good)!
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/2-3/4 cup sweet and spicy Thai Chili Sauce
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup bean sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbps. olive oil in a small pan over medium high.  Add red onion and saute just until onions begin to soften.  Remove from heat.
3. Divide pizza dough into 3 equal portions. Roll or stretch the first portion into a 12 inch circle on a baking sheet or stone. Pre-bake crust for 5 minutes, remove from oven and drizzle liberally with olive oil.
4. Top pizza, beginning with red onion, followed by green onions, red pepper, chicken, carrots, peanuts, a light sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and finally ending with a generous drizzle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.  Bake for additional 5-7 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Remove and immediately sprinkle with cilantro and bean sprouts.  Slice and enjoy.

SCR Browned Butter Toasted Coconut Oatmeal Cookie

It's reveal day for Group 3 of the Secret Recipe Club! We have a month to stalk someones blog, get to know them and finally make a recipe from their blog. This last month I have been stalking Chelsy's blog Mangia . What a fun gal. I love her Friday Link Love--just great links from many blogs. So much inspiration. Chelsy is beautiful and fun. She describes herself as a homebody. She loves to serve others, by taking them treats or just being there for them. She talks about her little sister and her mother and how they love to get together. Chelsy sounds like someone I would like to go to lunch with!
Chelsy's blog is just plain fun! She makes many gluten free dishes but she also has plenty of dishes for everyone. I saw a yummy Cilantro Citrus Slaw that was served with bar-b-que chicken tacos. I've got to make the slaw soon!
 But... Browned Butter won my heart, it is my new favorite flavor! It smells heavenly and makes everything taste delicious. Chelsy had several browned butter cookie recipes, I had to try one! One of my new favorite flavors is browned butter, it smells heavenly and makes anything taste delicious.
I just might have a new favorite cookie recipe--thank you Chelsy!

Browned Butter Toasted Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned to about 3/4 C. butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup toasted coconut (sweetened or unsweetened - you choose)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (optional--yes I think there is enough going on you don't need the chocolate). Did I just say that??

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  On one baking sheet spread out the shredded coconut.  Toast coconut for about 6 minutes until browned and fragrant. Remove from oven, cool in a small bowl. Toast pecans until fragrant.
 **Please devote your entire attention to the butter browning.  This is NOT the time to multitask!  Do not answer the phone, load the dishwasher, Play Words With Friends etc.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  The butter will begin to foam and crackle as the water evaporates from the butter.  Once the crackling subsides the butter solids will begin to brown.  Keep a close eye on the butter at this time.  You may notice the smell of the butter changing. Once well browned, immediately remove the butter from the pan so it will not continue cooking and burn.  Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment measure sugars. Add the brown butter and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  The mixture may look grainy, it's ok!

Add the egg and egg yolk and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  The mixture should become silky smooth.  Add vanilla and beat.

With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients.  Beat until just incorporated.   Then fold in the toasted coconut, pecans and chocolate chips.  The dough will be thick. My dough was very thick, prpbably from adding extra coconut and nuts. I added a tablespoon of water. I bake a test cookie just to see how it looks.

Spoon by the tablespoons onto the parchment covered baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown but still slightly soft in the center.  Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I had some extra dough, I put it in a sprayed mini muffin pan and cooked it for 12-14 minutes.  Perfect little muffins, gooey in the inside. Great with a scoop of ice cream. So many delicious options!

SRC Pistachio Cherry Ice Box Cookies

Being a member of the SRC gives one a chance to discover a new blogger. We get to 'stalk' their blog all month and then the difficult part; make just one recipe from their blog.
I had the honor to get to know Mindy from The World in My Kitchen. What a fun blog. Mindy has lived all over the world, this is definitely reflected in her dishes. Mindy also travels to France with her husband, a teacher. She shares posts about food she eats as she travels. Since I probably won't get to France I enjoyed the virtual experience.
I narrowed the recipes down to three; Crock-pot French Onion Soup, Dorie's Apple cake or Pistachio, Cherry Ice Box Cookie. No surprise, the cookies won--but the other two will be made in the near future!
I do love a good Ice Box Cookie, I think they have gone out of vogue in the cookie making circle. It's that 2 hour fridge time that stops many. Cookies are often instant gratification for me; I really want to cook them now!
But this little gem is certainly one worth waiting for. There is a hint of Orange Rind that plays perfectly with the Pistachios and Dried Cherries. I subbed Dried Cherries for the dried cranberries. I had a bag of KAF Dried Sweet Cherries--they are more than delicious!
The recipe comes together quickly, chill for two hours and then you are rewarded with the best cookie imaginable.Thanks Mindy, these, are excellent!

Pistachio Cherry Ice Box Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
Zest from one orange
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup sanding sugar
In a small bowl mix together flour, cinnamon and salt. In mixer beat butter, orange zest and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and add flour mix in three batches. Add pistachios and cherries, mix gently. Divide dough in two. Form each half in a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate 2 hours.
Brush chilled cookie log with egg, roll in sanding sugar. Slice 1/4 inch thick. Bake on parchment lined sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

SRC--Ginger, Pineapple, Cashew Fried Rice

 It's another great month for SRC! This month I was assigned A Couple in the Kitchen. These bloggers have some great dishes. I think they live on the east coast--they have plenty of yummy looking seafood dishes. Living in landlocked Utah our seafood comes from Costco.
The recipe I chose was a yummy rice dish, Ginger, Pineapple, Cashew Fried Rice, what a wonderful flavor combination. The recipe called for snap peas, I used red pepper as that is what I had. Red pepper is always a great addition but next time I make this dish I'll make sure I have snap peas. They would add some great color and flavor to this dish. Fresh pineapple adds such a fun flavor to this rice dish and cashews are the finishing touch. I served this rice with a spicy shrimp and asparagus dish. Together they were amazing.
Check out A Couple in the Kitchen  their blog is full of yummy dinner ideas. I have a list of recipes to try.

SRC Onion Soup

I'm excited to say that the Secret Recipe Club has once again led me to an awesome blogger. Juls lives in South East England and blogs at Pepper and Sherry. Juls is a twenty something catering student. My first glance at Juls blog was one of, 'oh no' what can I cook.
By most standard Juls and I are eons apart. She lives half way around the world, is young enough to be my child and cooks with items unavailable in my smallish mid western town. But actually the more I read about Juls the more I realized we were alike. We both use cooking as a therapy, it really can heal the soul. There is a certain joy in gathering fresh ingredients, chopping, dicing and cooking. Smelling wonderful scents and tasting. And then sharing these labors with those we love.

I had to laugh at Juls response to her boyfriends dislike of onions. "I like onions", she stated, "and I will cook with onions". I had a similar problem 36 years ago when I married my hubby. I'm happy to report that Juls boyfriend and my hubby both now like onions!
Juls doesn't care for cumin which is interesting because my hubby calls cumin 'the stinky armpit' spice. I use it anyway--in moderation.
So, take a moment and get to know Juls, I would love to sit down and have lunch with her. Thank you Juls for letting me stalk your blog this month!
So what did I make from Juls blog? Well Onion Soup of course. I've wanted to make something like the restaurant version of French Onion Soup. But I didn't want an inch of chewy cheese and soggy toast. So thanks to Juls Onion Soup Recipe I made a perfect version for me.

Onion Soup

• 4 large onions
• 1 pint chicken stock--I used 4 cups (I like a lot of broth)
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (I had fresh bay leaves)
• 3 tablespoons red wine (omitted--non drinker)
• 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Optional: slices of baguette and grated emmental.

METHOD:

1. Heat up a little butter on a low heat in the saucepan and finely chop the onions into half rings.
2. Add the onions, minced garlic and rosemary to the pan, cover for ten minutes.
3. Take the cover off and cook very slowly on this low heat to caramelise – it should take about forty five minutes until all the onions are soft, sweet, stringy and brown. (I had to cook an extra 30 minutes--my low must be too low).
4. Add the red wine and Worcester sauce and cook into the onions.
5. Pour in the stock and season.
6. Preheat your grill and cut some slices of baguette and sprinkle on about half a handful of grated Gruyere on each. (I melted the cheese under the broiler. Cut the cheese toast into croutons and floated a few on the hot soup).
7. Serve the soup into bowls and place the baguette slices and cheese on top and put the bowls under the grill for about five minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
8. Remember the plates are hot so remove with gloves and serve the bowls on plates.

SRC Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread

The Secret Recipe Club is a fun group of bloggers who are assigned a blog. We stalk the assigned blog for a few weeks and then choose something wonderful to bake from their blog. Reveal day is exciting; it is fun to see what the other 150 bloggers made. It is always fun to see what the blogger that received your blog made. And why, out of 250 recipes would they choose the recipe they did!

So today is reveal day for group C, Angela is our awesome leader. She kindly and quickly answers all my questions that I'm sure I asked last month. Thanks Angela. I was lucky enough to spend time reading and rereading Julia's blog, Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body. I really wanted to make all 30+ recipes in the Fall Favorites category. Julia loves salads and there were some yummy looking creations there. Oh, the cakes, I wish I had an event to bake for but hubby and I would have way too much temptation laying around!
Since it is fall and I have yet to make pumpkin bread I was drawn to Julia's recipe for Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread. I do love the smell of brown butter. Does it come in a perfume?

This recipe did not disappoint, it was moist and full of warm fall spices. It is a 5 star recipe for sure.
I baked 3 small loaves, one plain, one topped with pecans and one topped with a streusel. All delicious.
Thanks Julia, this is my new favorite pumpkin bread and it doesn't even need chocolate. That's impressive.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread
1 stick butter--4 ounces, melt in saucepan over high heat, lower heat and 'swirl' butter a bit, cook till it turns brown, watch closely as it goes from brown to black in an instant, allow to cool slightly
2 cups flour (recipe called for 1 cup of white and 1cup of wheat, I used all white as I was too lazy to get my wheat grinder out)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
15 ounce can pumpkin
Whisk together flour, sugar and seasonings. Whisk eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and brown butter. Gently mix together liquid and dry ingredients. Pour in greased loaf pans, I used 3 small pans. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Bread is done when a thin knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes and remove to a cooling rack.

Secret Recipe Club Brownies

I was lucky enough to have two secret blogs this month. The Secret Recipe Club is a great way to meet new bloggers and try new recipes.  Wow! Can I just say I'm impressed. Danielle blogs at A Day In The Life. Her blogs is full of food, family and life. She has two darling little guys, I love her Wordless Wednesday posts. Nothing quite as cute as a toddler living life!
 Danielle is concerned about nutrition but admits to having a sweet tooth. I have several recipes bookmarked for future use such as potato soup in the crock pot, ham and cheese Sammie's and some yummy Asian dishes. Danielle's favorite dessert is cake. She has several cakes that would make a birthday person happy.
So what recipe did I choose? My blog title might give it away, 'getting thru life one brownie recipe at a time'.
Yes, I had to make brownies. Danielle recipe was Marion Cunningham's 'Parker Brownies. This brownie is everything I like in a brownie. Fudgy but not gooey, simple to make, only dirties one bowl and delicious. Hubby just said it is his new favorite brownie! I make a lot of brownies so this is quite a compliment. Thanks Danielle, we have a new favorite brownie!

Parker Brownie, or Danielle's Brownie (I always name recipes after the person I got it from)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, I used a Guittard baking bar
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Butter an 8 inch square baking pan. Gently melt chopped chocolate and butter in microwave. My new microwave has a setting for melting butter and chocolate. I love it! Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add egg, stir till shiny, add salt. Gently stir in flour and nuts. Batter will be stiff, spread in pan. I used an offset spatula for easy spreading. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Brownies are thin, perfect for tucking in a lunch sack. Dress the brownies up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a little hot fudge. Be ready for a new favorite treat.

Secret Recipe Club-- Date Nut Loaf

 The Secret Recipe Club comes around every month. We are assigned a blog to get to know and then create a yummy dish from their blog.
 I was assigned an amazing blog called Feast on the Cheap. This delightful blog is written by a mother daughter team. Mary Ann is a caterer and Mariel is a 'fledgling foodie'. I would say they both are amazing. You will find a wide variety of dishes on this blog. Something for everyone I'm sure. Some gourmet, others family fare. I was intrigued by many, I bought the ingredients for the French Onion Soup, I'll make it later this week.

 In my fridge I happen to have a 2 pound container of fresh dates. So when I saw a recipe for Nana's Date Nut Bread that has been in the family for years I had to try it. It was a simple recipe, ingredients you would have in your pantry. I chose to make some mini loaves and a small size bundt. I went to photograph the bundt and it looked naked so I had to drizzle a little browned butter glaze over it. This was one yummy addition. It takes a plain date loaf to an elegant dessert.

Feast on the Cheap is now on my reader, there are many dishes I need to try. The reason it is called Feast on the Cheap is that the cost per serving is given on every dish. That is assuming you have a well stocked pantry. And they will teach you just what is in a well stocked pantry. Yes, a very helpful blog. Thanks Mary Ann and Mariel.

Secret Recipe Club--5 Minute Fudge

Another great month as a member of the Secret Recipe Club! This month I had the pleasure of getting to know Melissa at Melissa's Cuisine. Melissa is a great cook, her blog is full of yummy foods. I had a hard time choosing between cinnamon rolls, cookie dough or several kinds of pizza. But a simple chocolate fudge recipe caught my eye. This recipe is a favorite of her husband, who makes it often. It is smooth and creamy and very easy to make. It is made with common pantry ingredients and I'm happy to say you do not need a candy thermometer. Thanks Melissa for a great recipe, I'll make it often. I also have several other recipes bookmarked.

5-Minute Fudge
2/3 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk (it's the tiny can)
1-2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows (you can also quarter regular sized marshmallows)
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Mix milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.
4. Stir until marshmallows melt.
5. Immediately pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
6. Cool before cutting into squares.
I added some chopped walnuts

Secret Recipe Club--Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've enjoyed belonging to The Secret Recipe Club. Each month I get to meet a new blogger and make a new recipe. This month I had the pleasure of checking out Amy's Cooking Adventures. Amy is someone I would like to meet because we have so much in common. Although I am much older than Amy we are a lot alike. Amy is a stay at home mom to two darling little boys, she believes in sitting down together as a family each evening. This is something that we have practiced for 35 years! She likes to sew and scrapbook (favorite hobbies of mine). And she believes in feeding her boys veggies, sometimes hidden in favorite foods, smart mother!

 I enjoyed perusing the many yummy dishes on Amy's blog. My short list included Caramelized Onion Bread, Bacon Corn Chowder and Jalapeno Pepper Jack Scones. But my desire to start baking with pumpkin won. I'm still loving garden fresh tomatoes, corn and zucchini but pumpkin cookies were calling my name! So I gladly made Amy's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, they did not disappoint! The recipe came together quickly and soon the smell of Fall filled my kitchen, I was happy. Amy's recipe called for a cream cheese frosting but for some odd reason I was out of cream cheese. How did that happen?? Walmart was out of the question, although it is only 3 minutes away. So I made do and whipped up a yummy browned butter frosting. Delicious. The cookies were excellent, my new go to recipe for pumpkin cookies. Thank you Amy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

2 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. 

In an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.  On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.

Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.  Stir in the chips,

With a cookie scoop with 2 tablespoon capacity, scoop dough onto prepare cookie sheet at least 2 ½ inches apart.  Use a thin spatula to smooth and flatten rounds.

Bake cookies 16 minutes or until tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.  Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Move to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cooled, frost cookies (recipe follows).  Store cookies in an airtight container once the frosting in dry.

Browned Butter Frosting 

1/2 cup butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

milk as needed

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook butter on medium low heat till a light brown color, be careful, it burns quickly. Add browned butter to powdered sugar and whip, adding vanilla and milk as needed for spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies with a small offset spatula (one of my favorite kitchen tools).