Cranberry-Orange Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Cranberry-Orange Cookies with White-Chocolate Chips

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. orange extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1 heaping cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy- add egg and the extracts.
3. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.
4. Fold in the chips and cranberries until evenly distributed.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon (or roll into balls for a more uniform look) onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes; the edges should be barely golden and the cookie will look slightly underdone. Cool on the baking sheet for three minutes, then allow to cool completely on a wire-rack.

Party Queso.

Ingredients:

(And.. 3/4 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained)

Cut the queso into cubes. Throw it into the crockpot.

Add the browned and drained ground beef.

Add two cans of Rotel (drained) and one can of diced green chiles (undrained).

Mix everything together (I know.. not the most attractive..)

& melt on low for 2-3 hours, or high for one hour.

Once everything is melted, keep the crock pot on low until this happens.

• 3/4 lbs. lean ground beef, browned and drained*
• 2 lbs. block of Velveeta, cubed
• 2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel (original, mild, or hot- whatever your preference), drained
• 1 (7 oz.) can diced, roasted green chiles

1. Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot. Melt on low until smooth (approx. 2-3 hours) or high (approx. 1 hour). Once melted, keep crockpot on low.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 1 1/2  lb. cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
• 3/4 - 1 cup pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand-mixer, beat together the cream cheese and ranch dressing. Stir in the pepper sauce, 1/2  cup of cheddar, and the shredded chicken. 
3. Spread the mixture into a casserole dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheddar, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted.
4. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes so you don't burn your mouth. I speak from experience. I like to stir everything together once it comes out of the oven.
5. Serve with celery sticks, chips, crackers, etc.

or...

1. Melt the cream cheese with the dressing in a pot over medium-low heat until smooth.
2. Stir in the cheese until melted.
3. Fold in the buffalo sauce and shredded chicken; pour everything into a crock pot on low.
4. Serve with celery sticks, chips, crackers, etc.

• 
  

Sangria Recipes

White Sangria

• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine
• 3/4 cup peach schnapps
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
• 3/4 pound nectarines or peaches, pitted and sliced (or frozen!)
• 1 green apples, cored and sliced
• diet ginger ale

1. In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, liquors, and lemonade concentrate. Stir until the lemonade is dissolved. Add the peaches and apples. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours to overnight to blend the flavors.
2. Serve over ice with a 1:1 ratio with the ginger ale. Use a slotted spoon in include fruit in each serving.

Red Sangria

• 2 bottles Spanish red wine
• 1 cup brandy
• 3/4 cup triple sec, peach schnapps or orange flavored liqueur 
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
• 2 tablespoons white sugar*
• orange slices
• lemon slices
• apple slices
• 4 cups club soda, ginger ale or 7-up (optional)

1. Combine the wine, brandy, triple sec, oj, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, and fruit. Refrigerate overnight. 
2. Before serving, add club soda (if you'd like a fizzier sangria) or ginger ale (if you'd like a sweeter sangria). Serve over ice.

*Ginger ale and 7-up will add a little bit of sweetness, so you can omit the sugar if you choose to go with either of them.

Cakey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet or milk-chocolate chips (your preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecan, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 365 degrees.
2. Combine the pumpkin, sugars, applesauce, egg, and vanilla- stir until well-mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, bs, bp, and salt. 
4. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.Stir in chocolate chips.
5. For each cookie, mound about two tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them about two inches apart.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly brown and firm 
7. These cookies taste best warm from the oven, or straight from the fridge. After they have cooled, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. 

*Don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand? Check your spice cabinet, you probably have all the components for pumpkin pie spice. Make your own and keep it in an old spice jar.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• big pinch of ground cardamom

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Michael's Fav Dessert

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

• 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreos)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons raspberry sauce

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap foil around the bottom of a 9" springform pan. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, tablespoon of sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of the springform pan.
3. In a double-boiler, melt the white chocolate with the half and half, stirring occasionally until smooth. Alternatively, microwave in 30 second intervals (stirring after each interval) until the chocolate and half and half is smooth.
4. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and light. Add 1/2 cup sugar, beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in vanilla and the melted white chocolate. 
5. Pour half of the batter into the pan, then spoon three tablespoon of raspberry sauce over the batter.
6. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, and spoon the remaining raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl the jam with a knife to create a marbled-effect.
7. Place the pan on a jelly-roll pan, fill the pan with some water to create a water bath. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until filling it set (it should still be jiggly in the center). Then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an hour. 
8. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours (overnight) before removing from the pan. 
9. Garnish with extra raspberry sauce, fresh raspberries, white chocolate curls, or whipped cream before serving.  

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. 
2. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick, 
3. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

Crab Ceviche

Shrimp ceviche makes me a little squeamish. What!? Raw shrimp!? What!? It cooks in lime juice!? What!? That doesn't sound legit! 

But crab ceviche... totally my thing. Whenever we have a barbecue I request (i.e: demand) that Ronnie & Tiffany bring a giant bowl. I had a serious craving this morning and decided today was the day that I would make it for myself.

Meet my breakfast and lunch.

Crab Ceviche

• 1 (8-ounce) package imitation crab meat, flaked
• 2 large tomatoes (or 3-4 small), chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 jalapeno, diced (seed the jalapeno if you want a mild ceviche)
• 2-3 limes, juiced
• salt & pepper to taste
• little shake of garlic powder
• couple dashes of Frank's Red Hot*

Throw everything in a glass or porcelain bowl (preferably not metal or plastic). Chill for one hour. Eat with corn tortilla chips, wheat thins, or lavosh. 

*You can use a couple teaspoons of olive oil instead of Frank's if you prefer the way ceviche tastes without it. It's delicious either way.