Strawberry Jello Salad - Club Baked

 Who isn't reminded of their childhood when you hear jello salad?  At every holiday meal or special occasion when I was growing up, there was at least one jello salad.  Usually including pineapple or fruit cocktail and if we were lucky some whipped cream.  As an adult, I only think of jello as food we eat when we are sick or recovering from dental surgery.  I can't remember the last time I made a jello salad.  When I saw this week's Club Baked recipe was Strawberry Jello Salad, I was intrigued.  Really, the Baked Explorations authors are including a jello recipe in their cookbook? Baked Explorations features classic American dessert recipes the authors chose from their journeys across the United States. 

The recipe calls for making this is a 9 x 13 pan.  Since it's just the two of us, I didn't really want a big pan of jello.  I decide to make this in individual servings.  I made 1/4 of the recipe, with a little extra on the cream cheese layer and ended up with 4 servings.  I baked the pretzel mixture in the oven till crispy and the sprinkled it in the bottom of the glass.  It worked out perfectly and is much easier than cutting individual servings.

If you're looking for a salad for a family gathering, give this one a try.  It's a wonderful mixture of sweet, salty and creamy.  I would like to make this with pudding instead of jello, maybe chocolate?  For sure a chocolate version could be served at a holiday dinner for my husband's family, they love to call anything with whipping cream and pudding a salad. 

You'll find the recipe at Gloria, The Ginger Snap Girl's blog.  If you'd like to see what the other members of Club Baked did with this salad, you can find those links here!  Next up for Club Baked, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday. 

Hotel Cookies - Secret Recipe Club

 It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day, one of my favorite days of the month.  I look forward to seeing who had my blog and sharing the recipe of my assigned blogger.  Hard to believe I've been participating in SRC since June of 2011.  Since I also participate in Club Baked, I try to make a savory recipe for SRC.  This month, not so much.  When your assigned  blogger is Secrets from the Cookie Princess,  how can you choose a savory recipe from a blog with that title.  Collen began her blog during the holiday season of 2010 when she baked 163 dozen holiday cookies.  Wow, that's a lot of cookies!!!

The most difficult thing was deciding which recipe to bake.  As much as I love sweets, I hardly ever bake cookies.  Although the recipes themselves don't take any longer to prepare, I think it's the amount of time it takes to bake each individual sheet that stops me.   After reading at least a dozen of Colleen's recipes, the title for this recipe caught my eye.   Hotel Cookies sounded interesting and as it turns out, I've eaten Hotel Cookies many times.  The original name for this recipe is Lindsay's Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies but Colleen changed the name of these cookies because they reminded her husband of the cookies at the Doubletree hotels.   In my last job, we did a lot of business with the Doubletree and we all loved their cookies.  I agree, these are a close facsimile.

As I gathered everything to bake these cookies, I realized I didn't have semi sweet chocolate chocolate chips.  I used 12 ounces of milk chocolate and 5 ounces of peanut butter/chocolate chips.
Also, we're not big fans of walnuts, so I used all pecans.  These cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made.  If you like crispy cookies, these aren't for you.  However, if you like a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie, this is the recipe for you!  I will be making these cookies again soon!

Hotel Cookies
Recipe Courtesy of Secrets of the Cookie Princess
(Adapted from Lindsay's Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl, mix oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer for about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and cream mixture, beating until combined and scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can using the mixer, then stir in remain flour with a wooden spoon until incorporated.   Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

 On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, drop by spoonfuls about 2 inches apart.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.  Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then move to complete cooling on rack.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday,  Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday.

Tortellini with Squash and Sweet Corn

If you're like me and have lots of summer squash and corn on hand, give this recipe a try. It's a light and refreshing pasta dish, perfect for a warm summer night. The recipe calls for gnocchi but I used tortellini and it worked out perfectly.

 

Gnocchi with Squash & Sweet Corn

Recipe Courtesy of The Kitchen

Serves 2 to 4
 1 (16 ounce) package vacuum-sealed gnocchi (from the dried pasta aisle) (I used Tortellini)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, very thinly sliced
1 cup sweet yellow corn kernels (from about two ears)
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Squeeze of lemon
2 ounces soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Toss warm gnocchi with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a large, flat-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the butter until it begins to bubble and turn light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. Add the zucchini, squash, corn, and garlic and sauté until warmed through, another 2 - 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and stir the cooked gnocchi into the vegetables. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with small hunks of goat cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Rosemary Shortbread Apricot Bars - Club Baked

It's been a few months since I baked along with the Club Baked bakers.   When I saw the recipe included shortbread and rosemary, you bet!  Although this  isn't a quick dessert to make, it is well worth the time it takes.  First you prepare, chill and bake the shortbread crust.  The next step is to make the apricot filling.  Mine took every bit of the 50 minutes called for in the recipe before the filling thickened.  Lastly you put together the crumb topping, assemble and bake again.

My shortbread layer was quite a bit thicker and my filling thinner than the photograph shown in the book.  Regardless, these are delicious.  I especially liked the shortbread,  it's soft tender crumb and wonderful rosemary flavor.  This is a recipe I will make again in the future, even if it's only the shortbread layer!

You'll find the recipe on Linda's site Sassy is Baking and links to the other Club Baked baker's bars here!  Next up for Club Baked, Strawberry Jello Salad.

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday.

Cake Batter Muddy Buddy's

When I was little and my mom would bake a cake, I would beg to lick the bowl and the beaters. My mom, who never wasted anything, would scrape all but what seemed like a drop of batter and then let me have the rest. To this day, I love cake batter.  I could eat it by the spoonful. Raw eggs or not, I still can't help but lick the spatula, after scraping the rest into the bowl, of course. Mom would be proud. Recipes using cake batter are everywhere, cookies, ice cream and snack mixes like this one. I made these for food day at work. At the end of the day, I had an empty bowl and several requests for the recipe. Be careful, it's addictive!!!

Cake Batter Muddy Buddies
Recipe Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything Makes 5 cups
5 cups Rice Chex cereal
10 ounces (5 squares) vanilla flavored Almond Bark
3/4 cup yellow cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar
colored sprinkles
vegetable shortening, optional
Instructions: 1. Pour 5 cups of Chex Cereal into a large bowl.
2. Melt Almond Bark according to the package directions, adding vegetable shortening to thin if desired. (I used the shortening to thin.)
3. Pour Almond Bark over cereal, stirring and folding until the cereal is completely covered. Generously shake sprinkles over mixture and fold them in as well. so they stick to the Almond Bark.
4. In a large bag or covered container such as Tupperware, put cake mix and powdered sugar and shake to mix evenly.
5. Pour the Almond Bark covered cereal into the large bag or container containing cake mix and powdered sugar. Seal the bag or container and shake until all the cereal is coated with the powdered mixture.
6. Discard excess powdered sugar.
I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday.

Zucchini Bites

If you're like me and find yourself with a crisper drawer full of zucchini, give these a try!  I've made these twice since pinning the recipe a few weeks ago.  They are delicious and easy to make.  Be sure to squeeze the water out of the zucchini or they will be soggy.  You want them to crisp up, like a potato cake!

Zucchini Bites

Recipe adapted: The Curious Country Cook

Yields: 12 mini muffins

1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese - I used a combination of shredded Mozilla, asiago and parmesean
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style Panko
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Caprese Pasta

We love Caprese Salad. In the summer when the tomatoes and basil are abundant, we have one almost every night. With limited space for a garden, we decided to grow cherry tomatoes this year. The plants are thriving in our sandy soil.  With plenty of tomatoes on hand,  I wanted to adapt the flavors of Caprese Salad into a pasta dish.  Using several cold Caprese Pasta Salad recipes as my inspiration, I created this pasta dish.

The tartness of the balsamic, acidity of the tomatoes and creaminess of the mozzarella make this a delicious fresh pasta dish, the perfect dinner for a hot summer night.

Caprese Pasta

 1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
 Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
12 ounces uncooked pasta, such as penne or bow tie
12 fresh mozzarella cheese balls
1/3 cup chopped, fresh basil

 Directions

Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain in a colander, reserving a small amount for the pasta sauce.  Heat a large skillet to medium and toss the tomatoes and sauce until tomatoes are just slightly cooked.  Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixture and toss.  If you like, add the pasta water to the pan.  Cook a few minutes until the mozzarella balls begin to soften or melt.  Just prior to serving top with basil and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.