Giant Cookie Cake

4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 c. heavy cream

3 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

5 pkgs cream cheese, room temp

2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. Add in vanilla, eggs and yolks, mix. Add half of flour mixture, mix. Add cream, mix. Add remaining flour mixture, mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

For each of the 5-6 cookie layers, drop one level cup batter onto center of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. To make the circle even, trace an 8-inch plate or bowl on the underside of the paper. (Refrigerate unbaked dough) Spread dough into a circle. Bake til edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Use a spatula to reshape the circle. Return to oven and bake til edges are golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. If any dough is left over you can make regular sized cookies.

Mix cream cheese and sugar in a clean mixing bowl. Spread onto cookies. Stack cookies, placing an unfrosted cookie on top. Refrigerate until frosting is set, at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Serve at room temp.

(I used frozen, then thawed out cream cheese and it changed the flavor of the cream cheese, it wasn't as good as I thought it should have been. Otherwise, Josh loved it for his birthday cake.)

Fruit Pizza

Cookie Recipe

2 Cubes Blue Bonnet Margarine, softened

2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs (Add one at a time)

1 C. Sour Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

4 1/2 C. Flour

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Cream together margarine and sugar, add eggs one at a time, and mix. Add sour cream and vanilla, mix. Add baking soda, flour and salt, mix. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Let cool. Add fruit pizza frosting and desired fruits.

Frosting Recipe

8 oz Cool Whip

8 oz Cream Cheese

1/2 Package Powdered Sugar

Mix together.

Fruit topping suggestions: strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mandarin oranges, blueberries, bananas (use fresh)

Broccoli Soup

2-3 lbs fresh broccoli
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
3 cans chicken broth
2-4 cups water (approx)
3 cups half & half
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
4 1/2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream whipped (optional)
1 cup shredded cheese

Trim broccoli, split stalks & put into big pot (about 6 quart size). Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaves. Add chicken broth and enough water to almost cover broccoli. Bring to a boil and cook until broccoli is tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain, reserve broth. Remove and throw away bay leaves. Puree veggies with one cup broth. (To make it chunkier, I just use a potato masher) In emptied pot, melt butter and add flour, stir until smooth. Add veggies and half & half. Heat through. Add cheese, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want it thicker, melt 4 1/2 more Tbsp Butter and add 3-4 Tbsp flour and stir until smooth. Add to soup. Enjoy!

Glazed Corned Beef

Since this week was St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to share with you the BEST recipe for corned beef. My mom made this a few years ago and it has been a hit since. The recipe is from the Taste of Home magazine.

Ingredients

• 1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (3 to 4 pounds), trimmed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Directions

• Place corned beef and contents of seasoning packet in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Add onion and celery; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
• Drain and discard liquid and vegetables. Place beef on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Brush over beef.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 12 servings.

Note: I don't have a dutch oven, so I just boil mine in a pot. Works just fine. And for those of you that have never tried corned beef, give it a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Ask the butcher to pick you out a good one in the meat section. Enjoy.

IRISH BROWN BREAD

This is super easy and very filling. The kids have fun making it because they only get to use their hands. You can bet that I'll be baking another loaf on St. Patrick's Day to go with our corned beef and cabbage.

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Oh, how I love holidays!

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Ingredients:
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2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups buttermilk*
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Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients with your hands. Make a well in the middle and pour in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining buttermilk as you combine the ingredients. The dough will be very wet and sticky.

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Dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball. Bake until it's golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Makes a crusty, dense loaf.

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*Buttermilk - If you don't have any on hand you can mix 2 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice with enough milk added to make 2 1/2 cups. Then let it sit for 5 minutes before adding to the bread.

bacon & cheese breakfast cups

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6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

(I've also used cheddar, but Swiss is my favorite)

1 green onion, chopped

10 refrigerated biscuits

5-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, egg and milk in a medium bowl until blended. Stir in shredded Swiss cheese and chopped green onions.

Separate biscuits. Stretch each biscuit into a 5-inch circle, and press into a greased muffin tin. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon crumbled bacon into each biscuit shell and top with 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Top with another teaspoon of crumbled bacon. Bake for 22 minutes or until set and nicely browned. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

baked apple french toast

Our favorite french toast recipe!

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1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

3 large tart apples, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup minute tapioca

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

9-12 thick slices of french bread

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In a microwave melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Whisk until combined. Pour into a 9x13 casserole pan. Distribute apples on top and sprinkle with tapioca. Set aside.

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In a deep dish whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip bread into mixture and place each slice on top of the apples. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

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Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the bread is nice and toasted. Let cool for a few minutes before turning over onto a serving platter.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip!

"Olive Garden" Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

1 c chopped artichoke hearts (the seasoned/canned kind)

½ c frozen chopped spinach

8 oz cream cheese

½ c grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

dash of ground pepper

Boil spinach and artichoke in a cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender. Heat cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for 1 min. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese. Stir well. Add the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine.

Serve with celery, crackers, chips, a sliced baguette, or toasted bread for dipping.

Potato Sausage Soup

2 large cans evaporated milk
2 large cans creamed corn
7-8 potatoes diced
2 lbs. sausage
1 onion chopped

Brown sausage and onion. Add to other ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, depending on the size of your diced potato pieces. If you want it thinner add another can of evaporated milk. Enjoy! It's super easy and so yummy!!!

Chicken Biscuit Casserole

(ok so I am pretty sure I got this off of Rachel Ray's show, but can't quite remember...)

3 chicken breasts
7 tbsp butter
1 onion
2 tbsp flour
1 c chicken broth
1 c milk
dash of salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 c baking mix
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

preheat oven to 425 degrees

Shred or cut cooked chicken and put pieces on the bottom of a casserole dish.
In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter. Add onion. When onion is cooked, lower heat to medium and sprinkle flour into skillet. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until thick. Stir in 1/3 c milk and simmer 2 minutes. Pour into the casserole dish. (You can also add veggies to this recipe if you want).

Biscuits
Melt remaining butter with the garlic in a bowl in the microwave.
Stir baking mix and 2/3 c milk and cheese together in a bowl.
Drop tablespoonfuls of biscuit mix on top of casserole, then brush the biscuits with the butter-garlic mix.
Cover and bake until biscuits are golden, about 30 mins.

(you can cook it uncovered for slightly crispier biscuits)