Baking Cookies…

1 04 2011

Gather the Ingredients...

Sometimes the most ordinary baking is the clear favorite with your family…We made cookies tonight to take to church for a Children’s Fair next weekend.  I find baking to be great relaxation therapy after a busy day!  Today my BRAIN hurt…I was in the office all day and was ready for a change of pace when I got home.

This recipe comes from Linda Pauls who lives here in Buhler.  She is an award winning (many times over) Kansas State Fair Champion Baker, and we are honored to have some of her recipes included in our Adrian’s “Between Friends” Cookbook.  This is her Oatmeal Cookie recipe, and is just pretty tasty!  They are crispy on the outside, and nice and soft on the inside.

Start with the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar, white sugar & eggs.

Start by putting the butter flavored Crisco, brown sugar, white sugar and eggs into your mixing bowl.

Madagascar Vanilla Paste

We found this Vanilla Paste and it is heavenly!  I use it in place of vanilla extract.  Smells amazing!

Beat thoroughly...Love my Beater Blade!

I love my Beater Blade Replacement Blade for my Kitchen Aid Mixer…It thoroughly cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Click to view a great side-by-side Beater Blade Video Demo.

Dissolve Baking Soda in Hot Water

Linda’s recipe calls for dissolving the baking soda in one teaspoon of hot water…what a great idea!  I have occasionally bitten into a muffin or cookie and had a clump of baking soda in one bite. Ugh!  This solves that problem in a very simple step! I will do this with other recipes as well.

Now add the real goodies!

Now for the good stuff…Coconut, Oatmeal and Raisins (however, I substituted Craisins today…no raisins in the house). Mix it all together.

The lovely dough...Why bake it??? I love cookie dough!

Now scoop it all out onto greased cookie sheets and bake for about 10-12 minutes.  I use a stainless steel cookie scoop to get the cookies to be a uniform size and shape.

All lined up like little soldiers!

Of course, by now the house is smelling heavenly as these start to bake.  There is no candle (even at Adrians 🙂 that smells as good as REAL home baked cookies coming out of the oven!

Mmmmmmmm.......

All we need now is an icy cold, tall glass of milk.  Good thing most of these are going into the freezer for later…it would be hard to stay away from these cookies!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe from Adrian's Between Friends Cookbook

I mentioned above how much I love to use my Beater Blade.  It is a REPLACEMENT blade for the Kitchen Aid Mixers that continuously scrapes down the sides of the bowl saving you time and frustration.  No more pockets of leftover flour in the bottom of the bowl! We carry several different sizes at Adrians, and I would highly recommend them to any of you that are Kitchen Aid owners.  Here is a short demo video showing the Beater Blade making Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  I think you will enjoy watching it!

Oatmeal Cookies (with Coconut & Raisins)
Linda Pauls, Buhler, Kansas

Click for an Easy Print Copy of Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. shortening, butter flavored
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. hot water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 c. coconut
1 c. raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the sugars and shortening and cream well; add eggs and mix well. Add vanilla in hot water; mix in well. Mix all the other ingredients together and slowly add to creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on racks.

*NOTE:  Linda is an award winning baker and has collected many Blue Ribbons, Grand Champion Ribbons, and honors at the Kansas State Fair over the years.  We are thrilled that she was willing to share some of her recipes for our “Between Friends” cookbook.  Thanks so much Linda!

We featured our BEATER BLADE Video Demo with this recipe in our Newsletter.  Click here to view a short video showing HOW to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with your Kitchen Aid mixer and a BEATER BLADE.  Click Here for Video

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
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For many more delicious recipes, visit our blog: adriansboutique.com

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Barbeque Meatballs

29 03 2011

Donna's Barbeque Meatballs

Welcome back to our Blog…today’s featured recipe comes from a talented cook, Donna Greenleaf, from Pratt, Kansas.  We have featured some of her other recipes in our Adrian’s E-Newsletters, and she certainly knows her way around the kitchen!  Hope you will enjoy these deliciously sweet meatballs.  Perfect freezer dish!  Divide up the recipe for a “eat some now, freeze some to give away or serve later” kind of meal.

Start with fresh ingredients…

I had such a sweet note from a friend, Shirley Grose, from southern California..”…I also just printed off the chicken salad recipe and the chicken enchiladas. I do cooking for sick people in our church from time to time–new moms, people who are down on their luck, etc., so I want to make some of these recipes and package them in those freezer pans with cardboard lids, in quantities that would feed the # of people in their families (i.e. 2 parents; 1 kid), etc. These recipes are giving me new ideas.”  This is EXACTLY what I wanted to happen with our recipe Blog, newsletters, etc.  Homemade food is such a blessing to families or individuals.  Thank you for your compassion and willingness to serve Shirley!

Farm fresh eggs...a treat!

This is such a simple recipe…just mix up all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.  Squish it really good and mix thoroughly.  Then form into meatballs.  Line them up in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan.

Barbeque Meatball Recipe

We actually made about 1 1/2 times this recipe and made a meatloaf out of about a third of the mixture.

We decided to make a Meatloaf too!

Mix up the sauce and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 for about an hour.This will be delicious served with a potato casserole, over rice, and a perfect dish to share at a Potluck or to share with another family.  YUM!  Thank you Donna for sharing your recipe!

Barbeque Meatballs

Meatballs:
12 oz. evaporated milk
3 lbs. ground beef
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder

Mix all ingredients; shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Sauce:
2 c. catsup
2 c. brown sugar
2 T. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all together and pour over meatballs.  Bake for about one hour at 350 degrees.

*Note: If frozen, allow to thaw in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then bake as directed or until bubbly. Click Here for Easy Print Recipe.

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
www.facebook.com/adriansboutique
Visit our blog: adriansboutique.com
This recipe is featured in Adrian’s “Between Friends” Cookbook.

 


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Jenny’s Chicken Salad

21 03 2011

Jenny's Chicken Salad

Cool & refreshing on a warm spring or summer day, homemade Chicken Salad is just hard to beat!  We are continuing our series on Comfort Foods that are also Freezer Friendly, but are going to break away today from that for this post.  For those of you that have just discovered our blog, right now we are journaling through a day that we spent filling the freezer for our daughter-in-law, Cassie while she is recovering from some health issues.

Start with a Rotisserie Chicken

Our recipe today steps away from the freezer meals, because they were also in need of something that was just ready to grab out of the fridge for an easy to fix lunch. We started with a nice Rotisserie Chicken from the Deli.  Skin & de-bone the cooled chicken, then tear or cut into bite sized pieces.  We used one whole chicken.

Dice the celery

Dice the celery…this gives the chicken salad some great texture and CRUNCH!  This recipe comes from an experience our daughter, Jenny had while working at a great little diner one summer during college.  It is a light and delicious Chicken Salad that is refreshing served on a nice hearty bread, a light croissant, or on a lettuce leaf as a salad.

Halve your Red Grapes

Next, prepare your red grapes.  Wash and stem them, then slice in half. Jenny learned so much about made from scratch cooking during the weeks she worked at the diner!  (Note to self…we’ll have to feature the homemade Cream Puffs someday soon! 🙂

We go for the REAL mayonnaise...Hellmanns!

Mix up the sauce that holds it all together using Real mayonnaise, sugar, salt & pepper. It’s starting to look like Chicken Salad!

Serve on a hearty wheat berry bread, a light croissant, or on a lettuce leaf.  Refreshing and delicious!

Chicken Salad on Croissant

Any church potluck will confirm the fact that there are hundreds of great Chicken Salad recipes out there that are family favorites! We hope you enjoy this very simple one. Click here for easy print recipe.

Chicken Salad Diner Style

1 prepared Rotisserie chicken, cooled, deboned and torn into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 – 2 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
3 – 5 stalks celery, finely diced
1 1/2-2 T. sugar
1 cup real mayonnaise…(really the REAL mayo!)
salt & pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients together.  Add a little more mayonnaise if needed.  Chill thoroughly if you can wait! Delicious served on a fresh croissant, hearty wheat bread, or beautifully arranged on a lettuce leaf.

This is such a simple recipe, but delicious!  An option would be to add some slivered almonds or chopped pecans, but my family likes it better without the nuts. Pretty enough to serve at a ladies luncheon, and hearty enough that the guys even like it!

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
www.facebook.com/adriansboutique
For many more delicious recipes, visit our blog: adriansboutique.com

We would LOVE to hear from you, and are always looking for new recipes. Please leave your comments in the box below.


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Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

19 03 2011

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

…Continuing our little mini-series of Comfort Foods that are also very FREEZER FRIENDLY… and feel like this is same song, second verse…this is another favorite recipe that I have had for over 30 years.  A little gal, Melody Connor was in our “Newly Married” Sunday School class and served it to us for dinner at their house.  Of course, even back then, I was never shy about asking for a good recipe when I taste something delicious!

Gather the goodies...

Start by gathering up the ingredients…looks like a big mess here… 🙂 We were making about 8 recipes at the same time!  I just love it when we’ve got a hundred things going!  Living out in the country if you forget an ingredient, you just have to start substituting.  Sometimes, it turns out to be a whole other dish!

Rotisserie Chicken

We started out with a rotisserie chicken, but you can use any cooked style chicken that you like.  This chicken was relatively small, so we used the whole chicken. Just remove the skin, debone and tear into bite sized pieces.

This recipe was featured in Adrian's "Between Friends" Cookbook

Mix chicken with green chilies, sour cream & cumin.  Place about 1/4-1/3 cup of chicken mixture on each of the tortillas and roll up. Mix up sauce and pour over the top of the rolled tortillas.  Top with some shredded (sharp) cheddar cheese. Now you can either wrap tightly and place in your freezer, or bake them right away to serve for dinner!

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas

This is a great dish to serve to a crowd!  We have served these enchiladas a couple of times at Adrians during different special events.  They are not too spicy, or too messy, so most everyone seems to like them. At the store, we cut these into halves or thirds because they really do make a large enchilada. Serve with some great crunchy tortilla chips, Mexican rice, a nice salad and don’t forget a little (or A LOT) of homemade guacamole on the side!

Filling the Freezer with Comfort Foods

The staff makes fun of me, because I always seem to have a “story” behind these recipes…”Served at my great grand-pappy’s second cousin’s funeral…etc. etc” 🙂 … Let me say that I just can’t help it!  🙂  I always tend to go to my tried & true recipes from my old, old recipe box first!

Chicken Enchiladas Suisas
Click Here for Easy Print Recipe

3 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken (or 1 small rotisserie chicken)
4 oz. chopped green chilies
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. cumin
10 flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Garnishes: chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes & sliced black olives

De-bone chicken and shred or chop into bite sized pieces. Mix cooked chicken, green chilies, sour cream and cumin together. Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each of the 10 tortillas and roll up. Place filled tortillas in greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Combine cream of chicken soup, milk, cumin and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling. Garnish with chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes and sliced black olives if desired.

ADRIANS “A Unique Boutique”
Downtown Buhler, Kansas

www.adriansonline.com
www.facebook.com/adriansboutique
For more delicious recipes, visit our blog: adriansboutique.com

*Note:  These enchiladas have been served at several Adrians events.  Can be easily prepared ahead and frozen for your convenience…Great for a crowd!


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Cooking for Cassie Marathon!

14 03 2011

Clockwise starting with Crock Pot: Tahitian Chicken, Company Potatoes, Barbeque Meatballs, Chicken Enchiladas Suisas, Meatloaf, Chicken Spaghetti, Shepherd's Pie, Swedish Meatballs & (not shown) Chicken Salad

Our daughter-in-law, Cassie has had some pretty rough health issues for the last 5 or 6 weeks, so our daughter, Jenny & I thought we could help Josh & Cassie out by filling their freezer with some delicious comfort foods.  We would love to share some of these recipes with you…maybe you can use a couple of them to bless someone that is going through a difficult time.  Love to have you follow along on this journey with us…and we would love to hear back from YOU with ideas of great freezer meals, or a way that you have been blessed by someone, or by how you were able to help someone with a little home cooking!

We asked Cassie to make a list of their favorite comfort foods that would also do well frozen.  All of the recipes were found in either “The Pioneer Woman Cooks” or “Adrian’s Between Friends” Cookbooks.  Here is the list we worked from: Chicken Enchiladas Suisas, Barbeque Meatballs, Meatloaf, Tahitian Chicken, Swedish Meatballs, Company Potatoes, Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti, Shepherds Pie & Chicken Salad for sandwiches.

Cassie & Josh are staying with wonderful friends, Clint & Jenny and their adorable young sons, Jack (1 1/2) and Charlie (6 months) while Cassie recovers.  We were thankful that Cassie felt good enough to join in much of the prep work…and we absolutely had a blast!  Our plan is to share all of the recipes in the next week or so.  Enjoy!  Vicki & Jenny

Ingredients for Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

I LOVE Ree Drummond’s “Pioneer Woman Cooks” Cookbook…the photography is incredible…the recipes are delicious and I just really enjoy her style of writing.  Be sure to check out her blog at The Pioneer Woman.com…I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as we do!

It's easy to cook your own chicken!

Start by actually cooking your own chicken.  It is so easy,  makes the most delicious broth, and the chicken is tender and juicy.  Save this broth! We’re going to use some of it to add to our casserole, and use the rest to boil our spaghetti in for even more flavor.

Start with an exceptional recipe!

I love pictures when preparing a recipe and the Pioneer Woman Cooks has tons of them!  But just because a cookbook has photos, doesn’t necessarily mean that the recipe is that great.  Cooking is definatly part art and part science…with a lot of love mixed in.

Choose very fresh ingredients for exceptional results.

After cooking and de-boning the chicken, cook the spaghetti in the broth and set aside.  Follow the recipe to put it all together (very easy), and pour the entire mixture into a 9 x 13 greased casserole.

The finished casserole.

I can tell you that this recipe made plenty!  The casserole was heaped when we poured it into the pan, but after several of us tasted it (and I’m pretty sure several took more than one bite) 🙂 it was ready to go into the freezer.

Ready for the Freezer!

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks” Chicken Spaghetti

1 cut up fryer chicken
1 pound thin spaghetti
4 oz. jar diced pimentos, drained
1 small onion
1/4 c. finely dice green bell pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Add the chicken to a stock pot. Cove with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 25 minutes (longer if your chicken is not cut up). Remove the chicken from the water using tongs or a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate to cool.  Remove two cups of broth from the pot and set aside. Bring the remaining broth back to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook it al dente.  Drain the spaghetti, discarding the cooking liquid. Set aside.

With two forks (or your fingers) remove the chicken from the bones. Shred or cut the meat into bite-size chunks. Drain the pimentos. Dice the onion and green pepper. Place the cooked spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the cream of mushroom soup and the two reserved cups of chicken broth. Add two cups of the shredded cheddar cheese. Then add the onion, green pepper and pimento. Add the seasoned salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (optional). Finally add the diced chicken and broth.  Stir together well, then taste to check the seasonings. Pour the mixture into a large baking pan and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly.

Now all you need is some fresh bread, a great salad,  crisp, cool evening and a bunch of hungry people!  Enjoy!


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