Mint Chocolate Cookie Crunch

I think I've mentioned it before, but I get my love of baking from my mom. Each Christmas season, we'd spend hours in the kitchen baking unheard of amounts of Christmas goodies, singing Christmas songs. Memories like these are ones I cherish.

One of these such Christmas goodies we make is my mom's famous Mint Chocolate Cookie Crunch. She really is famous for them -- they were published in a Cookie Cookbook from Country Woman!!

What's wonderful about these... they are no-bake and can easily be made with little hands as helpers in the kitchen. I know I've posted this recipe before, but it's such a reminder of this time of year that I want to share it all with you again.

Mint Chocolate Cookie Crunch - Mom
{Print Recipe}

1 bag mint chocolate chips (or, Andes Mint Chips)
2 1/2 bags (or 5.5 C) dark chocolate chips (we LOVE Hershey's Special Dark!!)
1 pkg. Oreo cookies
4 C Rice Krispies

First, melt the chocolate chips (and mint chips) until just melted.

Then, finely crumble the Oreo cookies. We use a blender/food processor to do this, and purposefully leave a few larger random pieces.

Combine the Oreo, Rice Krispies and melted chocolates in a large bowl.

Stir until well coated.

Using a spoon or an ice cream scooper, create cookies on top of waxed or parchment paper.

Then, lick the bowl :)

Allow cookies to harden up on the counter for a few hours before eating. This recipe makes 124 cookies! They are great to give as gifts, if you're willing to share :)

You can also easily cut the recipe in half. Use 1/2 a bag of Andes mints, 1 (12oz) bag of chocolate chips, 2 C Rice Krispies and a half a package of Oreos.

This recipe is posted to:

• The Grocery Cart Challenge, Recipe Swap
• Foodie Friday
• Friday Feasts
• 2nd Annual Bloggy Progressive Dinner: Desserts
• Chocolate Friday
• Homemade Holiday Recipe Swap
• Tuesdays at the Table
• Stop Short Christmas Cookie Exchange
  
• 8 Weeks of Christmas Goodies

Lucy's Dinner Rolls

We survived our first Thanksgiving!  Well, actually, this is our third Thanksgiving together, but the first time we've celebrated in our own place, making our own turkey (more about that later) and enjoying sharing our thanks just the two of us.  It was a special day.

Now, we're looking at the leftovers of a 14.66 pound bird... yum.  We're going to be eating turkey for months.

One delicious way we love to eat turkey is in a hot turkey/gravy sandwich.  Lucy's dinner rolls were made for just that purpose.  They came out of the oven yesterday about an hour before the turkey did, so we could have a nourishing snack before the meal, and have leftovers for sandwiches.

If you're looking for a delicious dinner roll, these fit the bill.  Thanks, Lucy, for another fabulous recipe.

Lucy's Dinner Rolls - Adapted from Lucy
{Print Recipe}

Makes 12-14 rolls

1/2 + 1/6 C milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T sugar
1 T butter
1 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all purpose flour 
1 1/4 tsp. yeast

Place ingredients in your bread machine pan, as directed by the manufacturer.

Set the bread machine to the dough cycle, and allow your dough to knead. Mine takes about 90 minutes.

When the bread machine finishes its cycle, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface -- knead just a few times into a ball.

Allow the dough to rest, covered for 10-15 minutes.

Then, shape the dough into 12-14 round balls. Lucy has some fun directions about making cloverleaf rolls, if you're interested. I found it easier to cut the dough into pieces rather than rip it ;-)

Place the rolls into a greased pan -- I used a round 9-inch pan, Lucy recommends an 8x8 dish.

Cover, and allow rolls to rise for about 30 minutes to an hour until they are double in size. Mine rose rather quickly in my warm kitchen.

Bake at 375 for 12-18 minutes, until rolls are lightly browned and sound hallow when lightly tapped.

Cool for about 2 minutes in the pan, and then flip the rolls out -- this will help them to maintain their crunchiness.

Let sit for a few minutes before gobbling them up :)

Enjoy them in hot turkey sandwiches -- yum. Thanks, Lucy! Your rolls are delicious.

This post is linked to:

• What did you bake today?
• Friday Feasts 

Whole Wheat Molasses Crinkles

These are my absolute favorite cookie. My college roommate made them once for me and I was hooked -- I had to have her recipe. Her original recipe is wonderful, but this year, I decided to try making them a bit healthier, by using whole wheat.

No one will ever know these are made with 100% whole wheat flour.  Truly.  They are still soft and chewy and packed full of flavor.

Whole Wheat Molasses Crinkles - Adapted from Kim
{Print Recipe}

Makes 4 dozen cookies

3/4 C butter
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 C molasses, heaping
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour (you can also use more whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger

Cream together shortening, sugar, egg, and molasses until creamy.

Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well.*

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough into balls the size of large walnuts. Roll in sugar.

Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake about 10 minutes, just until set, but not hard.

Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on a wire wrack.

Store in an airtight container.

And, hide it ;)

*You may wish to chill the dough for about 15 minutes before forming the cookies.  We've done it both ways, and chilled dough is much easier to work with!

This post is linked to:
Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday Feasts
Homemade Holidays
What did you Bake Today?
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Tasty Tuesday Bloghop
Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods
Delicious Dishes
Ingredient Spotlight

Roasted Veggie Parmesan

Looking for a quick meal that tastes "exquisite" to quote Frog Prince? This is your dish, my friend.

Yummy roasted veggies served with whole wheat pasta, turkey sausage and a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce.

mmmm.  This is a dish you can serve to company :)  Or, you can make it for yourselves because it's really too good to share.

Roasted Veggie Alfredo - SnoWhite

1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
4-5 large garlic cloves (leave whole)
1 medium red onion, sliced into quarters*
Optional: other veggies... think zucchini, broccoli, even carrots!
1 T (or less) olive oil
~6.5 oz dried pasta, we used half a box of whole wheat penne
1/2 lb. Italian turkey sausage (we used breakfast sausage)
1 C whipping cream
1/4 - 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

*We used about 2 T minced onion

Preheat oven to 450.  

Dice up and prepare all the veggies. 

Then, place all the veggies except asparagus (and zucchini, if you use it) in a 9x13 glass baking dish. 

Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over the veggies and place them in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes. Include the whole garlic cloves too!

Then, add the asparagus and continue roasting for an additional 10 minutes, or until veggies are done to your likeness.

Meanwhile, boil pasta according to package directions, and drain when pasta is done.

Then, brown your sausage in a skillet, and place on a paper towel to drain excess grease.

While sausage is browning, combine cream (and if you used minced onions, add them here) and salt and pepper and stir until mixture warms.  Add in the now-roasted garlic from your roasted veggie tray, minced.

Then, add in the Parmesan cheese and stir until mixture thickens a bit. Make sure to stir constantly.

Combine pasta, veggies and sausage in a large bowl and toss well.

Then, pour the creamy Parmesan sauce over the top of the veggies.

Stir to coat.

Serves 4-6.

And, in the words of my hubby... even these leftovers are delicious.

This post is linked to:
Friday Food
Foodie Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap
2nd Bloggy Progressive Dinner: Main Dish
Ingredient Spotlight: Garlic

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Have you seen Edy's/Dryer's Pumpkin ice cream? Or, have you had Cold Stone's creamy deliciousness? With allergies, these ice creams are off-limits... so I decided to create my own. We made ours with sweet potatoes... but don't hesitate to make it with actual pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 C pumpkin puree* (or sweet potato puree)
2 C Half and Half
1 C Cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
(and, a little nutmeg if so desired)

Mix together puree, spices and vanilla. Allow these to sit together for an hour or so to let the flavors blend.

Then, dissolve the sugar in the cream and half and half.

Add all the ingredients together in the ice cream maker and make according to manufacturers directions.

Scoop into freezer containers and allow the ice cream to hard set... or, if you're too impatient... eat it right away.

But... hard set is better :)

I think this ice cream would be fabulous made into ice cream sandwiches between yummy Molasses Crinkles! Or, break apart little pieces of these cookies and add them to the ice cream maker about 5 minutes before you stop making ice cream.

*Really puree the heck out of the puree... unless you want chunks in your ice cream ;)

Looking for to make this without an ice cream maker?  Click here for two easy ways to do so!

This post is linked to October Carnival of Super Foods - Healthy Fats Edition,The Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap, In-Season Recipe Swap: Sweet Potatoes, Friday Feasts, and Pumpkin-Link Up at the Newlyweds.

Red Pepper Soup

Our local farmer's market had yummy-looking red peppers.

I learned that you should pick peppers that are heavy for their size and longer than wide, and of course, it should be firm.

With these beautiful red peppers, we created a creamy red-pepper soup ... light, tasty - a great side soup.

Red Pepper Soup - SnoWhite

3 large red bell peppers, roasted and diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 C chicken broth
1 C half and half

First, you need to roast your peppers.  I roasted them over our gas burner....

Simply turn on the burner to medium heat and use tongs to hold the peppers over the burner to roast.  There will be some popping as the pepper roasts. Roast until skin is blackened.

Then, place the peppers in a bag or in a bowl that is covered. And, allow them to steam.

If you don't have a gas stove, or want an easier way to roast peppers, slice them in half and lay them on a piece of foil, cut-side down.  

Place in the oven, heated to 425 degrees. Roast for 15-25 minutes, until the skins begin to blister.

Wrap the peppers in the tinfoil and allow them to steam (to losen the skin) for 15ish minutes.

Unwrap and carefully remove the skin. Then, dice the peppers.

When you take the peppers out of the oven, start the coup.

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until the garlic smells great.

Then, add the onions and potatoes, and chicken broth.  Cover and simmer for ~5 minutes.  

Then, add in your roasted peppers. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

After ~ 15 minutes, most of the chicken broth will be absorbed.

Add in the half and half.

Then, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and peppers.  If desired, add a dash of basil.

By adding the half and half first -- you cool the soup down enough so you can use the potato masher and not burn your hand with the steam!

Serve warm.

We recommend serving the soup with pizza-stuffed pretzels :)  Yum.

This post is linked to Friday Food, Foodie Friday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, URS, SoupaPalooza