Month: November 2009

Categories
Food

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve been trying to come up with cookie recipes for the two cookie exchanges I’m going to in December. I think I might have to make these as a trial before Thanksgiving to see. I loved making white chocolate cranberry sugar cookies last year around the holidays and I think adding oatmeal might be a great addition!
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
from Good Things which she adapted from recipe on the back of Craisins

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
a little more than 1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. dried cranberries
2/3 c. white chocolate chips

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy in texture and color, about 3 minutes, while you gather other ingredients.
-In large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, stirring to combine.
-To butter and sugar add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine well after each addition, then add vanilla.
-Stop mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn back on lowest setting.
-Add oatmeal mixture, then cranberries and white chocolate, beating just until barely combined.
-Remove bowl from stand mixer and bring over to baking sheets.
-Best way to do this is with your fingers (although messy) – pick up loose balls of dough about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter and place onto baking sheets at least 2 inches apart (I place 11 cookies on each sheet, dividing dough into 22 cookies total).
-If you have leftover cranberries and white chocolate chips, top cookies with a couple of each.
-Place in preheated oven and bake for exactly 10 minutes.
-Remove from oven, cookies will be slightly golden around edges and middles look a bit underdone.
-Let cool 5 minutes on cookies sheets and then place on wire racks to cool completely before serving.
*I will edit her recipe instructions once I make them and add my own pictures. I don’t have a kitchenaid stand mixer so I’ll be using my electric mixer. *

Categories
Food

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Monkey Bread

The recipe calls it “Breakfast Ring” but I’ve always heard it as Monkey Bread or Pull-Apart bread. However you call it~ its yummy!! My friend Kara made this last Saturday for our homecoming tailgate. It’s one of their favorite family recipes and I think now it’ll be one of mine! I’m planning to make this recipe again over Thanksgiving weekend. She used raisins instead of chocolate chips. I didn’t have any raisins so I used chocolate chips.
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cans (12.4 oz. each) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
1 pkg (4-serving size) vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 375. Using 1 Tbsp of the butter, generously butter 12-cup fluted tube pan. In small microwavable bowl, place remaining butter (I separated into two to make it easier to divide in over the layers). Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute, or until melted when stirred.
2. Cut each cinnamon roll in half crosswise. Place half of roll pieces in pan. (Mom’s Tip: Make sure the pieces are facing in the same direction.) Sprinkle with half of the pudding mix and half of the brown sugar. Drizzle with half of the melted butter. Repeat with remaining roll pieces, pudding mix, brown sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. (Kara used raisins on both layers, instead of chocolate chips.)
3. Bake 24-28 minutes or until rolls are deep golden brown and dough appears done when slightly pulled apart. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving platter. Cool 15 minutes. Microwave icing uncovered on High 10 seconds to soften. Drizzle over ring. Cut into wedges to serve.

Enjoy!

Categories
Everything Else Food

NCSU v Maryland (Chi O Homecoming)

We had a great time last Saturday with a bunch of my sisters tailgating before the game then watching the Pack win!! We were a little worried there at the end but then so glad they pulled out the W!! I made thanksgiving Pillsbury cookies (which looked like lil VT hokie cookies) and Trader Joe’s pumpkin muffins (with cransins). I think both went over well. Here’s a few pictures from tailgating. The top is all the Chi Omegas there at that point; I think I few others came & went. The bottom is my rencent favorite picture of Jason & I.

Categories
Food

Trader Joe’s!

Not sure if I’ve mentioned Trader Joe’s much on here but I love it! The new Raleigh store opened last Friday right near Costco (maybe 2nd favorite place to grocery shop) and only 10 mins from us. The Cary TJ’s was more like 30 minutes. I’d usually try to stock up whenever I was in Cary, but now I don’t have to!!!! I went tonight to check it out, get dinner for myself, things to take for lunches this week, and few of my TJ’s staples (frozen fruit, hummus, pizza dough & sauce, wine, pretzel chips, bananas). $82 later; I had all that plus lots more. 4 packed bags full in fact! I plan to try out their pumpkin muffins for this weekends tailgate, the pumpkin pancake mix sounded yummy for Sunday breakfast, got bagels to eat with the Apple Butter wedding favor from 2 weekends ago, the super friendly check out guy told me I HAD to get the maple cookies, etc etc. I’m a sucker for deals on great food. I’ll post later if any new items I got should be recommended. 🙂

Categories
Food

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Two weeks ago at Chi O Alum dinner club the hostess, Lauren, made these for her Fall Favorite theme. They were so awesome that we requested the recipe! Beth made them for the party last night and they were a hit again! I hope to make them soon~ maybe for dinner?! or as a Thanksgiving weekend appetizer.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheels Recipe:

1 (6 ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries (chopped)

1 (250 g) container spreadable cream cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

4 large flour tortillas or wheat flour tortillas

chopped nuts (used about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

*Lauren & Beth also added some deli turkey meat, after the filling is made she just put some turkey slices on top before rolling them up*

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except tortillas (and turkey), mix well.

2. Divide and spread mixture evenly among tortillas.

3. Roll up tightly, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

4. To serve cut into 12 slices.

Enjoy!