Whopper Cookies

My kids have been begging me to make Whopper Cookies; curtsey of Recipe Girl. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

1 cup butter, softened
 

¾ cup granulated sugar


¾ cup packed brown sugar


1 tsp baking soda


2 large eggs


1 tsp vanilla extract


2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled


2¾ cups all-purpose flour


½ cup instant malted milk powder


1 cup coarsely chopped malted milk balls

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat butter about 30 seconds. Add the sugars and soda; beat until combined. 

Beat in eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate. 

Beat in flour. Stir in the malted milk powder.

 Stir in chopped malted milk balls.

Looks kinda "interesting", but so yummy!

Enlist in taste testers! 

Drop dough from rounded teaspoons 2½ inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 10 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what we have cookin this week!

Monday- Italian chicken casserole (didn't get to this last week!)

Tuesday-Ranch Chicken kabobs, with biscuits, served over rice

Wednesday- Kid's night

Thursday-  Grilled lemon pepper chicken, with sautéed zucchini and corn on the cob

Friday-Shrimp Scampi with angel hair pasta (recipe below)

Dessert- Whopper Cookies (to be posted on Tuesday)

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb peeled and deveined large raw shrimp

1 (12 oz) package angel hair pasta

1/4 cup butter

1/4 finely chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic and saute' three to five minutes or until tender. Stir in Italian seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in lemon juice. Toss shrimp mixture with drained pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to Orgjunkie

RootBeer Cookies

Okay people; last week you read about my epiphany with bread crumbs, and my questions and attempts at fresh garlic cloves. What is it this week? Brown sugar. Thats right; brown sugar. There's light brown sugar, golden brown sugar, and dark brown sugar. I never really knew the difference, of if they were interchangeable in recipes. I mean, how different could they really be?! Apparently with Rootbeer Cookies, really different! Why don't you cooking bloggie friends, tell me these things?! My husband reminded me, that nobody is perfect the first time around at something. So, if you're going to make Rootbeer Cookies, don't use DARK brown sugar like I did! They kinda came out more like brown sugar molasses cookies. Do it right, and they will be yummy! 

Rootbeer Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

¾ tsp. root beer, or extract

4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Frosting

 3 ½ cups powdered sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

3 TBL water

1 ¼ tsp. root beer or extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. 

Add eggs; one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in buttermilk and root beer.

 Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture. 

Stir in pecans.

Drop by tablespoons 3 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes; or until lightly browned.

Allow cookies to cool (see how mine came out like molasses cookies?! darn dark brown sugar!)

In a mixing bowl, combine frosting ingredients

Beat until smooth. If icing isn’t thick enough; add an additional ½ cup of powdered sugar and 1/8 tsp. rootbeer

Frost cooled cookies. Looks like a little brown sugar donut hole!

Say hello to my leg and knee! Wear an apron when working with powdered sugar and flour!

This post is linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesdays

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone enjoyed the day off. Our household was a bit under the weather, so we really needed the day to get better! Our oldest, Kade, had his first football game on Saturday. Pictures are on my other blog, if you're interested.

I know I told you I was going to make Rootbeer Cookies, but I was missing some ingredients and didnt get to it! I'm certainly going to try this week! Cookies; take two. 

Monday- Since its already almost 4, I think we may be going to chickfila or something tonight!

Tuesday- Lemon chicken piccata

Wednesday- Italian chicken casserole 

Thursday-Grilled garlic herbed chicken, with corn on the cob and sautéed zucchini 

Friday- Taco casserole 

This post is linked to orgjunkie

Italian Mac and Cheese

I know I wrote the recipe below in my menu plan, but I made a few changes as I cooked it. Also, I was going to make my cookies instead, and I just didnt get around to it! 

This feeds about 4, so if you have more people or want more servings, you may need to double this recipe! This fed me and my kiddos only. (no leftovers!)

1 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni

6 TBL butter; divided

3 TBL flour

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup (4 ounces) chedder cheese

(2 ounces) velvetta cheese

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

3 TBL dry Italian bread crumbs

Cook macaroni according to box. Drain, and place in a greased baking dish (1-2 quart); and set aside. In a saucepan, melt 4TBL of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; then reduce heat. Stir in cheeses, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Pour over macaroni; mix well. Melt remaining butter (2 TBL); add bread crumbs. 

These are the bread crumbs that I use. Let me give you a confession. I've cooked a few recipes that have called for bread crumbs, and I had no idea there was actually something I could buy like this! Think about it; if nobody ever told me, how was I supposed to know?! I crumbled up sandwich bread, and always got frustrating that the dinner was really weird. Go ahead and laugh. But as a new cook, how was I supposed to know people?! Now I know, and I"m excited! HA

Sprinkle over casserole. Add a few more dashes of the dry bread crumbs, out of the box. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30 minutes. 

YUM! My kids LOVED this recipe

This post is linked to Tempt my tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

Menu Plan Monday-question about garlic!

Monday-  Bacon wrapped teriyaki skewers (we love this!)

Tuesday- Chicken Cannelloni 

Wednesday-20 Clove garlic Chicken (I've never used whole garlic cloves before. Is the whole garlic 4 cloves?!I have no idea how to do it!)

Thursday- Kid's night- If you can find it; eat it!

Friday- Homemade Mac and Cheese

Desserts- RootBeer Cookies, with a light and fluffy rootbeer icing

Recipes

Chicken cannelloni

1 pkg cannilonni/or manicotti

16 oz ricotta cheese


1 large egg


1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed


1/2 clove garlic, - minced


1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


1 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper


1 lb cooked chicken breast, finely chop

1 cup fontona cheese

1 jar (16 oz)  mararina sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil manicotta noodles in a large sauce pan, until fully cooked. In a large bowl, Combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk together well. Fold in chicken and 1/2 cup of Fontina cheese. Set filling aside.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of Marinara across the bottom of the pan. Fill pasta with mixture. Top rolls with sauce, covering each completely. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of Fontina over the cannelloni.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 20 Clove garlic chicken

3-4 pounds chicken (breasts)

1 large onion diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon pepper

20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Using a slow cooker, place onion slices on the bottom. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion. (Do not add water.)

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. 

Macaroni and Cheese

1 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni

5 TBL butter

3 TBL flour

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup (4 ounces) chedder cheese

(2 ounces) velvetta cheese

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 TBL dry bread crumbs

Cook macaroni according to box. Drain, and place in a greased baking dish (1-1/2 quart); set aside. In a saucepan, melt 4 TBL of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; reduce heat. Stir in cheeses, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Pour over macaroni; mix well. Melt remaining butter; add bread crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30 minutes. 

As always, this post is linked to Orgjunkie

Chicken velveeta spaghetti

Boneless chicken breasts (4)

Salt and pepper

1 stick butter

½ onion

garlic

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 can rotel

1 can chicken broth

1 lb. velveeta

Directions-

Boil chicken in water with salt, pepper (save water). Cook spaghett in the left over water plus a can of chicken broth (don’t drain). Saute butter with the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add to the chicken. Drain the spaghetti and add velveeta, soups, salt and pepper. Add the chicken mixture.

Spray pam on casserole pan.  Cook covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.