Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe

November 16, 2015 by

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe

I have gone my whole life never tasting a macadamia nut cookie. Every time we visit Subway I choose the double chocolate. Something about the white chocolate macadamia nut just never really appealed to me, something about the lack of color. I know, sounds crazy right?  Well, it is said that we eat with our eyes first, so I guess that is why!  A friend convinced me to try a bite of her’s and it wasn’t that bad. I just thought the cookie needed something else.  More color, another level of flavor.  My solution- add cranberries!

Guess what is my new favorite?  This Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut recipe.  I would take these over my chocolate cookie any day.  I love that they are not overly sweet. The base of the cookie is light and fluffy with a slight crunch around the edge.  Plump cranberries, nutty chocolate..  what more could you want?

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
1⁄2 cup white sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1⁄4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 1⁄2 cups white chocolate chips

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe Process

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt.
Mix the flour into the creamed butter, a little at a time.
Once combined completely, fold in the cranberries, chocolate chips and nuts.
Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes
These freeze really well. Make a double batch and freeze for parties or holidays.

Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. A light and fluffy cookie with a crunchy edge, plump cranberries and chocolate!

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Easy 15 Minute Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

April 9, 2014 by 8 Comments

Easy 15 Minute Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

Easy 15 Minute Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

This pizza will make you throw away your take out menu and get you in the kitchen for sure! It is so simple and so inexpensive that even Pizza Hut’s $10 any pizza won’t entice you anymore. Finally a homemade pizza that actually does compare to the restaurants.

What you need: 

  • 1 package of pizza dough mix (Walmart- 52¢!! why have I not tried this stuff way before now?)
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 – 9-10 inch pie plate, cake pan or oven safe skillet
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • Desired toppings
  • *Sauce tip-  so when I decided to make these, I realized I had literally no sauce. Not even pasta sauce. I was bumming. Until I saw a can of Italian style diced tomatoes.  OK! Open it up, dump it into the blender, add a little olive oil, pinch of salt & pepper, a little garlic powder (or fresh). Blend. Done.   Hubby said I need to make the sauce like that from now on.  It was FANTASTIC.

What to do: 

Preheat the oven to 425°

In a medium bowl, mix the hot water with the package of pizza dough mix. Work it until a soft dough ball.  Let sit and rest for about 5 mins.

Grease your desired pan or dish with butter then drizzle with olive oil (not necessary if you don’t have it, fine)

Easy 15 Minute Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

Press the dough into the dish. Bring it slightly up the sides.

Spread the sauce, cheese and toppings.  Bake for about 15-20mins.  or until golden brown edges appear.

*CHEESE TIP-  Sprinkle cheese heavier around the edges, when cheese melts on a pizza it gradually makes it’s way to the middle.  This way you won’t have edges with no cheese!

Easy 15 Minute Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

Want more pizza recipes? Check out this easy homemade pizza dough recipe and an easy homemade pizza sauce recipe!

EASY 15 MINUTE HOMEMADE DEEP DISH PIZZA

Filed Under: Lunch, Main Dishes Tagged With: , ,

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

April 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Easy Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls & Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

 Spring rolls are my favorite Chinese food menu item. Since I have vowed to skip the take out menu and cook at home more I had to find a way to still enjoy these crunchy little bundles of heaven.  I also wanted to try to create a healthier version. I don’t care to fry food in the house (for some reason I can not handle the smell) so I generally bake instead. Cooking on a higher temperature and drizzling with oil will help achieve the crunch of frying. 

What you need: 

  • 1 cup finely shredded cabbage, carrot and green onion
  • 1 red pepper thinly sliced (I left this out)
  • 4 mushrooms sliced thin (optional)
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • A pinch of salt & pepper
  • 8 spring roll wrappers
  • cooking oil (I used vegetable, use what you wish)

What to do: 

Preheat the oven to 425º

Combine the vegetables in a bowl with the salt & pepper

Place a spring roll wrappers on a flat surface with the corner (pointed edge) towards you. 

Put about 1/8 of the filling in the bottom third of the wrapper, bring the pointed edge over the filling, fold in the sides tightly. Dab the top pointed edge with water and roll tightly. 

Bake on 425º for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy 

Cut in half and serve with sauce. 

For the dipping sauce: 

My favorite recipe for the ginger soy dipping sauce 

Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Lunch Tagged With: , , ,

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

March 30, 2014 by 5 Comments

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

This is the quickest and easiest yeast roll I have ever made. No more thinking ahead the day before or hours prior to rise dough.  You can enjoy fresh, soft, fluffy dinner rolls in just an hour following this recipe. Using rapid rise yeast helps, but also this style roll does not require a long rise time.  I made them buttered, you can try experimenting with different herb toppings or add a touch more sugar and a little honey to turn them into Hawaiian rolls!

What you need:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Envelope of Rapid Rise Yeast
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
¾ teaspoons salt
1 cup water
6 Tablespoons Butter, divided into 2 Tablespoons each
Sea Salt and garlic Seasoning for the top if you wish

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 400º, reduce to 375º when you put them in the oven.

Mix the yeast, sugar and salt and 1 cup of flour in a large bowl.

Warm the oil, water and 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave on 1 minute. Liquid should be warm , not hot to the touch. Add  to the flour mixture. Mix by hand for about until well combined.

Add ½ cup flour and continue to mix.  Flour your counter top, dump the dough onto the counter, add more flour until dough is no longer sticky, but a workable soft dough.

Knead for about 5-8 minutes.

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Grease a glass pie plate or pan of your choice, separate into equal parts, roll into a ball and set them spaced about 2 inches. Let rise an additional 20 minutes. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, bake on 375º for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush with remaining butter. Salt or garlic if desired.

Easy Quick Rise Dinner Rolls in One Hour

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Simple Homemade Blueberry Muffins

March 23, 2014 by 2 Comments

Simple Homemade Blueberry Muffins

I use to be so scared to bake anything. I was no good at it. Then I decided to skip being scared and just practice. Baking is hard for me because I tend to “eyeball” or “judge” on the amount of an ingredient. With baking you can not do this.  Baking is literally science, not just “a science” like the saying.  If you are off on one ingredient, another ingredient may not do what it is suppose to. So, don’t be scared to bake, just make sure you follow the recipe exactly. Start with something simple like this easy blueberry muffin recipe.

Remember: 

  • Always follow baking recipes EXACTLY
  • Always use real unsalted butter when a recipe calls for “butter or margarine” .   Trust me, it makes a difference.

Simple Homemade Blueberry Muffins

 

Ingredients
  1. 1 cup warm milk
  2. 1/2 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted
  3. 1 Land O Lakes® Egg, slightly beaten
  4. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  5. 1/2 cup sugar
  6. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  8. 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  9. Topping
  10. 1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted
  11. 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Grease a muffin tin or line with baking cups.
  3. Mix milk, 1/2 cup melted butter and egg in medium sized bowl.
  4. Add all remaining ingredients except blueberries; mix.
  5. Then fold in the blueberries. TIP* I use small wild Maine blueberries from Wyman’s. Use can find these in your freezer section. No need to defrost. Just add to a bowl, coat with 2 tablespoons of sugar before adding to muffin batter.
  6. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan cups.
  7. Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Cool slightly; remove from pan.
  9. Brush muffins with 1/4 cup melted butter, then in sugar. Optional.

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: , , ,

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

March 23, 2014 by 10 Comments

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 Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

Beef Stew is one of those dishes that most people think has to cook all day or for hours to taste good. It is true that the longer the cooking time, the more flavors and tender the meat is. But, this recipe is different. This recipe will achieve the same in about an hour. So, if you come home from work cold, tired and craving something to warm you up, homemade beef stew IS possible! Follow the steps below and enjoy!

What you need:

1 Beef Stew Seasoning Packet (or make your own with this recipe)
Olive Oil
1 Pound Beef cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*TIP* Do not buy pre-cut “stew beef”, it is usually a cut of meat that is more tough since most stores expect that someone making stew will be cooking it all day or using a slow cooker. Instead pick out a more tender cut of meat and cube it yourself.
2 medium carrots cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 large potato diced
1/2 box frozen peas OR use cut green beans (preference)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons flour

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

 

What to do:

1.  Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a stock pot or dutch oven, heat on medium

2. Add diced beef and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add the flour and mix well to coat the beef (this helps thicken the sauce later)

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

3. Whisk together the beef stew packet and 3 cups of water, pour slowly into the pot, mix well.  Add all the veggies except the peas or green beans.  Add those 15 minutes before finished. 

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

 

4. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce to medium low ( about a 2-3 on your dial, stove tops vary heat should be hot enough to cook but not boiling) for about an hour. 

This tastes wonderful served with fresh bread. Normally I use this easy biscuit recipe , but I was not in the mood so we just had buttered bread. 

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Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour - This delicious stew recipe tastes like it took all day, but it is super easy to make in just an hour! It's perfect for busy weeknight dinners.

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