Hot Cocoa Cookies

Saw these on Pinterest and I'm making these for a Christmas Ugly Sweater party. I have been eating the weird looking ones or the ones that fell apart and they are good. 

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 
2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt

4. Stir into the butter mixture until well blended
5. Mix in the chocolate chips
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set
8. Immediately top with three mini marshmallows when you remove the cookies from the oven
9. If more gooey marshmallow is desired place marshmallow topped cookies back in the oven for 1 mintute
10. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely

Oreo Treats

I always make these for my students because they absolutely love them. It is like making a rice krispie treat but replacing the rice krispies with Oreos. They are very good, I have to admit and so simple to make!

Ingredients

1- 16 oz package of Oreo cookies
5 cups of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons of butter

Directions


1. Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper then set pan aside.
2. In a food processor  or blender, process Oreos into fine crumbs and set aside. (If you are using a blender, place the Oreos in a large ziploc bag first and smash them with a heavy object, then place in the blender. It makes it easier to grind.)
3. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. (Or put the butter and marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it.)
4. Remove from heat. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. 
5. Transfer to prepared baking pan. 
6. Using a piece of wax paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan. 
7. Let it cool before cutting into squares. 

Struffoli aka Honey Balls

So every year during Christmas time, my grandmother makes Struffoli (honey balls). I love love love love love these and you will too! I definitely will be making this a Christmas tradition with my hubby to be soon and my children that I will have in the future.

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
 2 sticks of butter room temp
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla 
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp salt
 vegetable oil for frying
1 pound honey 
1 small jar sprinkles

Directions 

1. Whisk eggs very well. Beat sugar into eggs. 
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 
3. Rub butter into the flour with your hands.
4. Add vanilla to the sugar/egg mixture. Put mixture the into a mixer and mix and slowly add the flour/butter mixture. 
5. Let dough rest in a cool dry place for at least 30 minutes.
6. Divide dough into fourths. Roll out the dough in sections. Cut dough into 1/2-inch strips and cut 1/2-inch pieces from the strips. Place the 1/2-inch squares onto a baking pan. Make each 1/2 inch piece into balls about the size of a hazelnut.
7. Put vegetable oil into a large pan. When hot, fry small quantities of the dough balls in the oil until golden brown.
8. Place the balls onto a baking pan lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. When all dough is fried, let cool to room temperature.
9. In a saucepan, heat the honey add small quantities of the fried dough to the pan. Stir lightly.
10. Remove from saucepan and place back on the baking pan and sprinkle with candy sprinkles.

Eggrolls

I love Chinese egg-rolls but whenever I eat them from a Chinese restaurant, I get the worst tummy aches. I blame the excessive oil. I love making my own egg-rolls at home. I have made duck and veggie egg-rolls in the past, tonight I made pork. They turned out amazing. Enjoy!

Ingredients

egg roll wrappers

ground pork

a bag of cole slaw mix

can of bean sprouts

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ground ginger

teriyaki  sauce 

olive oil spray

duck sauce

Directions

1. Brown pork in a pan until cooked

2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees 

3. Put cole slaw in a large bowl, cover, and microwave for 5-6 minutes

4. Once the cole slaw is done, drain any excess water, then add garlic and ginger and mix

5. Once the pork is cooked and has cooled down, place a bit of it in the center of each wrapper

6. Add a little teriyaki sauce to the pork

7. Top the pork with cole slaw then bean sprouts

8. Fold in two of the corners. Put a bit of water on the top edges with your finger. Fold up the bottom, and roll as tightly as you can to the edge.

9. Place the egg rolls on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil spray and make sure to spray the tops of the egg rolls with the oil too (If cooking on a non-stick pan, you do not need to spray the pan)

10. Bake for  20 minutes or until crispy and serve with duck sauce

White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies

I have never met someone who did not love these cookies or become obsessed with them. They are amazing, you definitely cannot eat just one! If you need to bring cookies to a holiday party, bring these!

Ingredients

1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of quick-cooking oats
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of white choc. chips
1/2 cup of butter (melted)
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

1. Combine flour,  baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, sugar, and salt in a bowl and mix
2. Add oats, cranberries, and chips and mix
3. Beat in butter, egg, and vanilla
4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes
5. Bake at 375 degrees on an ungreased cooking pan for  8 to 10 minutes

Italian Christmas Cookies

I helped my grandma bake Italian Christmas cookies tonight. They turned out nice and crisp, just like they are supposed to be. My grams just gets a little carried away with the sprinkles.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 stick of butter
2 1/2 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder

Directions

1. Beat eggs in a bowl, then add sugar and vanilla and mix
2. Add melted butter to the bowl and mix
3. Put the flour and baking soda in another bowl
4. Then combine the flour and baking soda to the other mixture and mix it all together (you may have to add more flour--the dough should not be very overly sticky)
5. Place flour on a table and roll the dough out over the flour
6. Use cookie cutters to cut out the various shapes of dough
7. Place the cut-out dough on a greased cookie sheet (grease with butter)
8. Take a brush and brush the top of each cookie with egg wash
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes

Bisquick "Fried" Chicken and Avocado Coleslaw

This was pretty simple to make. I think instead of baking next time, I might actually fry it.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 tsp garlic powder

boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 eggs
Olive Oil cooking spray

Directions
1. Heat oven to 450°F. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Stir Bisquick mix, cheese, paprika and salt in a bowl. 

3. Dip chicken into eggs, then coat with Bisquick mixture

4. Place chicken on cookie sheet

3. Bake 12 to14 minutes

Ingredients

1 bag coleslaw mix
1 large avocado
1 jalapeno 
1 lime
green onions
cilantro

Directions

1. Mix avocado, jalapeno, and lime together

2. Chop green onions and cilantro and mix with coleslaw mix

3. Add avocado mixture

4. Add salt and pepper if needed

Baked Clams

My mom always makes baked clams for the holidays and I love them. It is the only way I will eat clams, maybe because they are basically "hidden" in the breadcrumbs. Normally we buy the foiled clam shells at the party store but this year we just baked them in medium sized tins and scooped what we wanted out using a spoon or crackers.

Baked clams with quinoa chips

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons of chopped white onion
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
6 teaspoons of parsley
dash of oregano
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
4 cans of chopped or minced clams
1 cup of bread crumbs

Directions

1. Saute the onions, garlic, parsley, and oregano in the oil
2. Add the cans of clams including the clam juice in the can
3. Add the breadcrumbs 
4. Mix together until it becomes thick (you may have to add more than 1 cup of breadcrumb)
5. Scoop the  clam mixture into each foil clam shell or into medium tin
6. Add a dot of butter to each clam or spread the dots of butter eventually over the tin
7. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes (make sure the top is crispy)