Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies

I had to repost this cookie recipe since I made them again and got a better picture. I used mint Aero bars this time but still didn't get the green swirl that I would have liked to. I think Andes mints would work best but this will do for now!

These are my absolute new favorite cookie....

I think I may have found this one on AllRecipes. I totally blew my diet for the day on these cookies...they taste like Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies and are SOOO good. Please don't blame me for breaking your New Year's resolutions if you decide to make these... I didn't take the time to find Andes Mints...they're pretty hard to find here in Canada so I just used Mint Chocolate Chips...I didn't get the green look that I wanted but they still tasted amazing!

3/4 c. butter

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. water

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 (4.5 oz.) packages chocolate covered thin mints (Andes mints or peppermint patties) or mint chocolate chips.

In saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water; stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350F and grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake. I baked mine for 9 minutes and they were perfect! When cookies come out of the oven, press one chocolate mint wafer into the cookie and let sit for one minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies break mints in half. Cool completely before serving to allow chocolate on top to harden.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Chicken Fajitas

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up in small strips

1 large green pepper(and/or red and yellow pepper), sliced into strips

1 large onion, cut into thin wedges

1 package fajita seasoning

1 package tortillas

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cheddar cheese, shredded

guacamole

tomatoes

sour cream

salsa or pico de gallo

tortilla chips

Brown chicken on high in large frying pan until cooked through and golden brown. Sprinkle fajita seasoning mix over chicken and add 1/4 c. water. Add green pepper and onion, stir to coat seasoning over all veggies and chicken. Cover and let simmer until vegetables are hot but still crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately while still sizzling in warm tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Goes great with beans and rice.

Low-Calorie Spinach Craisen Salad

I've been eating this salad with my lunch lately, it's so good...full of greens and sweetend enough with some fruit. I don't make a large salad, just keep these few ingredients in the fridge already cut up and ready to put one together quick.

Handful of baby spinach

Purple onion, cut into rings (I had to use a white onion but purple would give it some pretty color)

Clementine, peeled

Small handful of craisens (not too many...they have a lot of sugar)

pinch of chopped pecans for some crunch

Use Strawberry Vinegarette salad dressing. You can even add a grilled chicken breast to make it a complete meal. SO GOOD!

Strawberry Vinegarette Dressing (fat-free)

1 c. strawberries (I used frozen ones from Costco)

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

sweeten with Stevia (natural sweetener available at most health food stores)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Blend well in blender and store in refrigerator. Great on Spinach Craisen Salad.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

I got this cake recipe off of Becoming Betty. It was so good! And really moist too!

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

5 eggs

1 sick butter, melted

16 oz. sour cream

1 bag chocolate chips

Combine dry cake mix and pudding mix in large bowl. Add eggs, melted butter and sour cream and blend well. Pour in chocolate chips and mix together. Pour batter in bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Beer Bread

From the kitchen of HF

To make with beer and vinegar:

4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. beer

1 1/4 c. water

2 tbsp. vinegar

To make without beer:

4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1 3/4 - 2 c. water (or until dough consistency, add slowly)

Mix dry ingredients, add water/beer slowly kneading in until you have a decent dough consistency (may need more or less water) Let rise for 15 hours. Knead and place on parchment paper in dough ball and place in dutch oven or iron skillet with lid. Let rise for 2 hours. Heat oven to 500F. Place iron skillet with lid on in oven then decrease temperature to 415F. Bake for about 30 minutes depending on crust consistency preference.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I got this from my friend CS. It was really good but we ate it all before I could get a picture...

1 can of pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. water
3 c. white sugar
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 package chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350F, grease and flour 3 loaf pans. In a large bowl mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients in to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for about 50 minutes. Loaves are done when knife inserted in the center of bread comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Pancakes

I tried this at my friends house...my kids and I loved them! Thanks DC!

2 c. pancake mix (the kind that you only need to add water to i.e. Krusteaz)
2 c. water
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. peanut butter chips
2 ripe bananas, sliced
Chocolate syrup ( I use regular maple syrup)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional

Combine pancake mix, water and peanut butter; mix according to package directions. Stir in peanut butter chips. Cook on hot griddle according to package directions until golden brown. Serve pancakes topped with sliced bananas, syrup and whipped cream.

Grilled Pizza

*New change: I made this tonight and used Naan Bread instead of making dough and skip the step of grilling dough for 1 minute before placing toppings.  The Naan Bread was really good...we just started adding the toppings right from the package and place straight on the grill.  You could also try the Boboli pizza crusts but I have not tried it so I couldn't say how it would taste. Naan Bread can be found at Walmart and most grocery stores in the bakery department.

I saw this one on The Sisters' Cafe and have been wanting to try it. It has been so warm and humid the last few weeks we (meaning me) have not been wanting to cook...so we've been using the grill any chance we can. Today we tried this pizza and it was really good!

I used this bread dough recipe: (This recipe will make 4 pizzas. I doubled this to make 8 individual sized pizzas)

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. yeast
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Activate yeast in water and sugar, then add salt and flour, knead well and let rise once. Divide into 4 balls and roll flat to about 1/4 inch. I think mine were about 8 inches in diameter.

I brushed the dough with melted garlic butter to avoid sticking to the grill. Place on clean, heated grill for about 1 minute and then flip over using tongs. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Watch carefully...I burned my first couple! Remove from grill and spread pizza sauce and then choice of toppings. Replace in grill for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. I rotated them around from the top shelf in the grill to the bottom to avoid burning. Serve with side salad and enjoy!

Sauce: You can use canned pizza or jar spaghetti sauce, it's easy. I used a can of tomato sauce with some garlic salt, dried onion, oregano, basil , pepper and parsley. I didn't measure anything...I think it was pretty much 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of it all. Sorry....

Suggested toppings: sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, diced ham, black/green olives, onion, green pepper, mushroom, pineapple, tomato slices. Sprinkle with parmesan. For Margarita Pizza use marinara, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and mozzerella! YUM

Meat Marinade {Shish-Ka-Bobs}

I used this meat marinade recipe to make shish-ka-bobs the other day...they turned out so good!

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. vinegar

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried onion

1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning

pepper to taste

Mix well and pour over meat to marinade in a bowl or large zip-lock bag. Marinate for 2-3 hours in refrigerator.

Shish-Ka-Bobs:

*meat of your choice cut into bite size pieces (I use sirloin)

*mushrooms, green pepper, onion, cherry tomato and/or any other veggie you like on a skewer

*grill until meat is cooked to liking and veggies are hot!