Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were pretty good and quite chewy!

But they were quite thin. 
However, I did use mini chocolate chips this time too, and accidentally put double the about of baking soda in them:/  I'm not sure if that was why they were so thin or not, but oh well!

Not sure I will make them again because I like thicker and softer cookies.

Recipe from: CookwithApril Youtube Video

INGREDIENTS:
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 4 dozen, enough to save in your freezer)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 2 teapoon hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips: http://amzn.to/SrnfNk
Optional walnuts: http://amzn.to/SrngRq

Bake for around 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Lemon Bars

These are my favorite lemon bars!
I cant wait to make a whole batch some day when I get to make them for more people :)

Here's the recipe from: CookwithApril Youtube video

INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all purpose flour

Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

LEMON FILLING:
4 eggs
1/2 cups white sugar or more if you prefer
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 lemons juiced

Poor on top of crust,
bake again for 20 minutes.

French Bread Rolls to Die For

So here are some pictures of my first go at making rolls of any sort.

I just made a half of a batch, just to see if I liked them!

I must say..this recipe is pretty good. No extreme flavor of course.. just a nice plain roll:)

What I learned:  Don't put damp paper towel and cloth directly over the dough rolls! They will stick and ruin all the rising!

Recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/french-bread-rolls-to-die-for/

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

My mom's Pancakes

Hi Guys!

So this is my mom's recipe for pancakes that she always made when I was growing up.  Some of my sister's have found their own recipe to make, but let me just say I am loyal to my mom's :)

Here's the ingredients:

2 cups Flour
4 teas Baking Powder
1 teas Salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup Milk
1/3 cup Oil

Just mix all dry ingredients thoroughly together with a whisk, then I mix the egg and oil together separately.  Then add them to the dry ingredients.  Lastly I add the milk.

These are my all time favorite! Very easy to make! :) 

Cake Mix Cookies: Chocolate Chip

 Recipe from: Six Sisters' Stuff Blog


I used a Butter Rich Yellow Cake Mix that was 15 and some odd ounces instead of 18.
I added a little extra flour.
And also used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Patrick and I thought they'd be more fun lol :)

These were really good!! Definitely will remake these, they are very cakey and soft!
I sent these to Patrick for Easter:)
 

Biscuit recipe

Hello All!!!

So this is the recipe for biscuits that I have been making recently..which I also got from my sister, Deese. She actually found this recipe at, Joy the Baker's Blog! What can I say.. she's just so helpful. :)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes (I just chop mine up with a knife)
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold ( I make my own:)

**Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Add butter to the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to quickly incorporate the fat into the flour. Break up the butter with your fingers until some of the fat is the size of oat flakes and some of the fat is the size of small pebbles.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk.

***I made my own buttermilk substitute because I didn't have any:
3/4 cup of regular milk mixed with a little less than a Tablespoon of Distilled Vinegar.
Let it sit for about 5 minutes before adding to mixture.

Make a small well in the center of the fat and flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture. Using a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Try to moisten all of the flour bits with the liquid.  Knead together until dough forms a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.  The dough is quite sticky so make sure you use quite a bit of flour on the counter before you dump out the dough and then also I also added some on top of dough!

You could use a round, 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut biscuits (you can use a water glass if you don't have one!). I decided to use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make them all cute and stuff :)

Gather the dough scraps, knead for a few turns, and cut out more biscuits until no dough remains. Place biscuits on a small cookie sheet and place in the fridge until ready to bake.

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Bake between 10 and 20 minutes until golden brown, every oven is different! Will last for 4 days, longer if kept in fridge or freezer.

Finished product!
(Some of mine pancaked because of the temperature in my oven :/ )

Rice and bean dish

Hey guys!!

So last night I was not in the best mood..So I decided to do some cooking and baking!!

The recipe I decided to make is from my sister Deese.  She is my oldest sister and such a FOODY, so you know her recipes are always bomb. haha Well here is the recipe:

1 cup Rice (or 1/2 cup each Rice and Quinoa)

2 cups water or Tomato juice

1 can chopped or crushed tomatoes or stewed tomatoes (crushed will make a less chunky dish and is my favorite choice. Stewed tomatoes were cooked with onions and peppers before being canned)

1 can chili beans

1 can corn or 1 cup frozen corn (more if you want)

1 TB Chili Powder

1/4 teas pepper

1/4 teas salt

can add 1 small onion or 1/2 a large onion, I would chop it finely and saute until translucent in oil in the same pan before adding the rest of ingredients.

can add 1 cup Boca or Morning Star Crumbles (no need to thaw)

I just mixed everything together at once and cooked on medium high until it started to bubble, then I turn it down to medium and covered with a lid. You'll know it's is done when the rice has soaked up water/tomato juice, can take 45 mins to an hour! 

*** But I modified this recipe just a bit:  to make a faster version all you have to do is use already made rice (like microwaveable rice) and don't add the 2 cups water/tomato juice! So i just popped a cup of brown rice with a cup of water to bowl, covered it and let it cook in the microwave for 7 minutes!

The key here is to add the already cooked rice to the pot last, since its already cooked and not frozen like the other ingredients. 

Plus always remember any thing with spices like this...It doesn't hurt to let it sit on warm temp. for a little while longer than needed!  Married ingredients taste better!! :)

***Last but not least: PUT IT ON A BISCUIT :)

Here is a picture of the finished, fabulous creation :