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Cheesy Potato Casserole

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Cheesy Potato Casserole made with hashbrowns

Cheesy Potato Casserole

This is another recipe that I got from my moms group MOPS (mothers of preschoolers). We always took turns bringing brunch food in for our meeting and this was a staple food at every meeting. Then I started hosting Thanksgiving for 50 people and the first year that I made a double batch of this the pans were scrapped empty, but there were so many mashed potatoes left. Now I don’t even bother with mashed potatoes during the holidays because everyone likes this better. It’s better for me too because I hate peeling potatoes!

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Make sure you buy the shredded frozen potatoes, not the cubes ones. They don’t turn out as well and take longer to cook.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Cheesy Potatoes
 
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Recipe type: Brunch
Ingredients
  • 1 package frozen hash brown/shredded potatoes (THAWED)
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 8oz container sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes OR ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • pepper to taste
  • Optional Topping:
  • 2 cups crushed cornflakes
  • ¼ cup melted butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In large bowl mix hash browns, butter, can of soup, sour cream, onions, cheese, and pepper.
  3. Put mixture in 9x13 baking dish
  4. Optional Topping:
  5. In medium saucepan over medium heat, saute cornflakes and ¼ cup butter.
  6. Sprinkle over casserole.
  7. Bake covered for 45 min.

 

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The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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These cookies have a crispy edge, a chewy middle & a melt in your mouth soft center.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This recipe is nothing like the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe your probably used to making. I found this recipe to be very unique & extremely tasty! Now I can safely say I understand why it was printed in The New York Times. These cookies reminded me of when I was a kid & my Grandma would take me to a local restaurant that is sadly no longer around. At the end of the meal she would always let me get a really big chocolate chip cookie for dessert (which of course was my favorite part of the meal).

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are really BIG! They ended up being about 5″ in size after baking!  I don’t know about you but I’m used to cookies that are less than half that size. Since they are so BIG they offer something that small/regular sized cookies don’t…a crispy edge, a chewy middle, & a soft center (doesn’t that sound delicious?).  The first time I made these I used my digital scale to weigh the dough because the directions say each ball of dough should weigh 3.5 ounces. I wanted to make them the exact size the first time I made them but now I just guesstimate. The recipe says to bake only 6 cookies on each cookie sheet because they take up so much room.

The New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Katie’s Notes: I chose to omit the sea salt that goes on top of the cookies because I was worried the cookies would taste really salty but the sea salt does give them a nice gourmet look. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves (at least 60% cacao) but since those are hard to find & expensive I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips instead. They worked out great because they have the correct amount of cacao in them, are readily available at most grocery stores, & they are much bigger than your average chocolate chips.  Really the hardest part about this recipe is waiting until the next day to bake the cookies. I ended up baking mine after the dough had set for about 24 hours.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
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Recipe type: Cookies
Ingredients
  • 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8½ ounces) cake flour
  • 1⅔ cups (8½ ounces) bread flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons coarse salt
  • 2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter
  • 1¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
  • 1¼ pounds (20 ounces) bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips)
  • Sea salt (optional)
Instructions
  1. Mix flours, baking soda, baking powder & salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Cream butter & sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes, using an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
  3. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Stir in chocolate chips/disks.
  5. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours in a sealed container. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
  6. After waiting at least 24 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat. Set aside.
  7. Scoop 6, 3.5-ounce balls of dough (about 2.5" in size) onto baking sheet.
  8. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (optional) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yields: 1½ dozen 5-inch cookies. Source: The New York Times

Source: New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe printed July 9, 2008 & Adapted from Jacques Torres

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Sausage Puffs with Creamy Mustard Dip

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Sausage Puffs with Creamy Mustard Dip

My neighborhood has a dinner club where we get together once a month and someone hosts a dinner with a theme.  A few months back the theme was New Orleans. I made these with spicy andouille sausage and they were a big hit.

You will have some left over puff pastry. If you want you can take the leftovers and cut into strips and brush with egg and cook with the sausage puffs (on a different cookie sheet) then when they are done you can dip in melted butter and then roll in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. My daughter loves it when I do this.

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Sausage Puffs with Creamy Mustard Dip
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1 package of frozen puff pastry
  • 1 package of fully cooked sausage
  • 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 teaspoon water
  • Mustard Dip:
  • ½ cup stone ground mustard
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
  1. unfold pastry
  2. cut sausage into 1 inch pieces
  3. using a sharp knife or pizza cutter cut into 1 inch strips, about 3 inches long
  4. wrap the pastry strip around the sausage and push the ends together
  5. place on greased cookie sheet seam side down
  6. refrigerate for 1 hour
  7. preheat oven to 375
  8. brush pastries with egg mixture
  9. bake until puffed and golden 20-25 min
  10. mix mustard, mayonnaise, and sour cream together
  11. serve sausage puffs with mustard dip

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Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

This is another one of my husband’s favorite cookies, well I guess it’s mine too. For this one I took my best chocolate chip cookie recipe and turned it into bar cookies. Bar cookies just seem easier to make and there are less pans to wash afterwards. As you can see in the picture they are totally gooey in the middle. If you like hard cookies, then these are not for you.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 1 cup soft butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups all flour
  • 2 teaspoons hot water
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups chocolate chips (add more of less to your liking)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. grease 9x13 pan
  3. cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth
  4. beat in the eggs one at a time
  5. add vanilla
  6. dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to batter
  7. add salt
  8. slowly stir in flour
  9. stir in chocolate chips
  10. spread batter in greased 9x13 pan, press down with you hands
  11. Bake for 22-26 min.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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Famous Braid Bread

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Famous Braid Bread Recipe

My famous bread! Your probably wondering why is this bread famous? Well that would be because of my daughter. When my daughter was about 5 year old, she would add the word “famous” to anything that she loved. So she started asking is she could have a piece of “famous” bread and the name stuck. She is almost 8 now and still calls it famous bread. This recipe makes two nice sized loaves.

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This is how your bread should look after about 5 min in the bread machine.  It should be a ball. If it’s too wet add a little flour and if it’s too dry add some water. Add a tablespoon at a time, until it looks similar to the above picture.

Next you braid the bread. Braid the bread just like you would hair, and then tuck the ends under so it looks nice.

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I usually take a cold stick of butter when it’s hot out of the oven and rub it around the top of the loaf. Just a little goes a long way.  Then TRY and wait about 20-30 min. to let it cool before you cut it, otherwise it will squish down.

Famous Braid Bread Recipe

Famous Braid Bread
 
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Recipe type: Bread
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup of warm milk (microwave the milk for 1 min.)
  • ¼ cup soft butter, not melted
  • 3 eggs (at room temperature is best)
  • 5½ cups of all purpose flour or bread flour if you have it
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 packet of rapid rise yeast
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients to bread machine in the order above.
  2. Add warm milk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and then yeast.
  3. Set machine for dough cycle, this takes about 1½ hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 convection.
  5. Once it is finished put the dough on a floured surface. Break dough into two even pieces.
  6. Then take one of the pieces and break into 3 more even pieces.
  7. Braid these 3 pieces together and place on half of the greased cookie sheet.
  8. Repeat with the other dough and place on cookie sheet. (two can fit on 1 cookie sheet)
  9. Let rise in a warm, not hot place for 30-45 min.
  10. After risen, if you like the shiny look you can brush with an egg wash. (wisk one egg and 1 T. water) then brush on top of dough.
  11. Bake at 375 convection for 15-20 min. should be golden brown.
  12. I usually take a cold stick of butter and rub it across the top of the bread when it comes out of the oven, just a little gives the crust a nice buttery flavor.

 

 

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Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

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A Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe. Soft & Chewy.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Peanut butter cookies!  This is another recipe I got from my aunt a long time ago & it’s one of my favorites. This is one cookie that I never tire of eating. I’m pretty sure I could eat these everyday for the rest of my life & still not get sick of them.  I make this recipe way too often because I love it that much.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe is easy to make & the cookies always turn out the same every time, I wish I could say the same about every cookie recipe I’ve tried. ;) I think it’s important to use melted butter with this recipe, if I only use softened butter (room temperature) then these cookies don’t have quite the same texture. These cookies are sweet but full of peanut butter flavor & they are soft which I love.

Makes about  2 1/2 dozen cookies (I usually end up with about 32 cookies).

Peanut Butter Cookies
 
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Recipe type: Cookies
Serves: 32
Ingredients
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted (microwave for 25-30 seconds)
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl add sugar, brown sugar, & butter together & stir until creamy. Add peanut butter, egg, & vanilla & stir until smooth & creamy.
  3. Add flour & baking soda & stir until well combined.
  4. Scoop or roll dough into 1 inch balls & place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each ball using a fork making a criss-cross pattern on top.
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to slightly brown. (Don't over bake or your cookies will turn out hard).

 

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Mom’s Coleslaw

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Mom's Coleslaw Recipe

I have tried so many coleslaw recipes over the years, and after I found this recipe I quit trying others. My mom LOVES this recipe that is how it got its name. I even have a big star on the top of my paper copy that says “mom’s favorite” on it. I have made this so many times and it always turns out perfect. Even when I don’t have buttermilk on hand I will substitute (1/4 cup regular milk, add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit 5 min. then add to mixture).  I also don’t recommend using light mayo or miracle whip because it won’t taste the same. Don’t forget to let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator before you make it.

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Mom's Coleslaw
 
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Recipe type: Side dish
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 2½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion or 2 tablespoon fresh minced onion
  • 1 bag of shredded cabbage or shred about ½ head fresh.
  • ¼ cup shredded carrots (optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and minced onion in large bowl. Mix until smooth.
  2. Add the cabbage and carrots and mix well.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

I have tried so many coleslaw recipes over the years, and after I found this recipe I quit trying others. My mom LOVES this recipe, that is how it got it’s name. I even have a big star on the top of my paper copy that says “mom’s favorite” on it. I have made this so many times and it always turns out perfect. Even when I don’t have buttermilk on hand and have to use the substitute (1/4 cup regular milk, add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit 5 min. then add to mixture).  I also don’t recommend using light mayo or miracle whip because it won’t taste the same. Don’t forget to let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator before you make it.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

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peanut butter choclate barsPeanut Butter Bars….

About 10 years ago, I got this recipe from my cousin. The funny thing is she does not cook or bake but she thought this recipe looked good, so she ripped it out of a magazine and asked me to make it for her. I changed a few things around over the years to get it just right, but every time I make it someone asks for the recipe. This is also one of my husband’s favorites. He likes anything peanut butter and/or butterscotch. They are very easy to make, just make sure you leave enough time for the chocolate to get solid before you serve them, probably about 2 hours in the fridge or if you live in northern Indiana with 9 months of winter like I do, just put them outside.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup soft butter
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups quick oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips
  • ⅓ cup peanut butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In medium bowl mix butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until creamy.
  3. Then add corn syrup, vanilla, and oats and mix until well blended.
  4. Press evenly into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 400 degrees.
  6. While this is baking, melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a small pan on medium-low heat or microwave in 30 second intervals. Don't overheat or the mixture will harden.
  7. When the oat mixture is done pull out of oven and pour the sauce over the top.
  8. Let cool in refrigerator until top becomes solid.

 

peanut butter chocolate bars

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

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This is my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe for frosting cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I have newly discovered the ingredient vanilla bean paste (amazon affiliate) and found that it works great for making vanilla frosting. It does not contain any alcohol like vanilla extract so you end up with a richer creamier vanilla flavor plus it contains real vanilla bean seeds in it. However before discovering vanilla bean paste I made it the traditional way with vanilla extract so don’t worry if you don’t have any you can just use pure vanilla extract instead.

Depending on what your using the buttercream frosting for whether it’s for cupcakes, a cake, or cookies you will have to adjust the consistency to suit your needs. The recipe below is what I like to use when I’m piping cupcakes so it’s fairly stiff and hold its shape well. If I was going to use it to frost a cake I would make the consistency slightly thinner by adding more whipping cream so it would spread easier. If you want the frosting thicker then just add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.

 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
 
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Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Author:
Recipe type: Frosting
Ingredients
  • 3½ tablespoons heavy whipping creme
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (may substitute with vanilla extract)
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients & beat on medium speed with mixer until the consistence you want has been reached. Add a little extra whipping creme if you want the frosting thinner or add more powered sugar to thicken it.

 

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Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

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Light and moist vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream frosting & sprinkles.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

For years I have searched and tried to find a vanilla cupcake recipe that I would like enough to make again and again. I think this recipe is a keeper because I’ve made it at least 25 times now.  I didn’t realize I was so picky when it came to vanilla cupcakes but I truly am. I expect a vanilla cupcake to be light, moist, tasty, and full of vanilla flavor. This recipe sort of reminds me of store bought cupcakes but only in the good ways.  I think that the sour cream is one of the secret ingredients that make this cupcake recipe so good!

This recipe makes about 18 cupcakes. I usually use one cupcake pan that holds 12 cupcakes & one that holds 6 when I make these. Source: this recipe was adapted from cupcake project.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
 
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Recipe type: Cupcakes
Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup soybean oil or vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup milk (I used 2%)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt & mix together. In another bowl cream sugar & butter together with electric mixer until light & fluffy.
  3. Add the creamed butter & sugar to the flour mixture & mix on medium-low speed for about a minute, you will end up with a crumb texture.
  4. Add eggs, oil, sour cream, & vanilla to the flour mixture & beat on medium speed until just combined.
  5. Slowly add in the milk on low speed until just combined.
  6. Fill cupcake liners ½ full. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Insert toothpick in center of a cupcake until it comes out clean or you can gently tap the top of the cupcake with your finger, if it springs back its done.
  7. Remove from oven & let cool in pan for a few minutes then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

FROSTING– To frost the cupcakes I used my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe.

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