Alexis Dorny's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

16 oz canned pumpkin

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

12 oz chocolate chips

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Sift together flour and dry ingredients. Stir to form dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop onto greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Alexis Dorny's Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin

1/4 cup softened butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon yeast

Combine ingredients in bread machine and process on dough cycle. Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape rolls as desired and place on greased baking sheet. Cover and rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cherry's Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin puree

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon each kosher salt, cinnamon and allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Place oil, red onion, garlic and seasonings in large pot. Cook on medium-low heat until red onion and garlic brown. Puree the beans and tomatoes with half the vegetable broth. Add pureed ingredients, pumpkin and rest of broth to the pot. Simmer uncovered until thick, about 40 to 45 minutes. Before serving stir in balsamic vinegar. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Next Cooking Class Sept 30th!

Hello everyone, are you surprised to see this blog get updated? I sure am! I got the flu, which forced me to cancel a trip so I had time to write this. Imagine what a cool person I could be if I didn't travel! Wait sorry, this isn't my personal blog it is a cooking blog so.. LET'S COOK!

Or not..

September's topic:

BROWN BAG!! See how this could help you...

• Are you tired of your kids complaining that the food you send in their lunch has no trade-in value on the streets?

• Are you burned out on getting invited to a quilting lunch and just stay home and watch your favorite rerun of MASH instead because you don't have anything at home that doesn't require hours in the kitchen?

• When your grandkids come over, do you feel like you have to have costco snacks in the pantry to bribe them (wait, which ones do they like?)

• When you go to play group, do your kids always want to eat Lyndsi or Jo's snacks?

• Do the cafeteria ladies make your kids put their chocolate away (I know, that is none of their business, right?)
  

Well this is the class for you! Come to class and bring something that looks healthy enough to fool even the most astute of lunch ladies!

SEPTEMBER 30th at 7pm MPR (Multipurpose room, I just got that acronym from a cool school in Indiana!)

Lynette Mill's Chocolate Mud Cake

This was the slow cooker recipe. I know, I know, forever ago. But just in time for the slow-cooker season!

Serve with vanilla ice cream

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons + 1/3 cup cocoa

1 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/ 3 cup milk

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups hot water

1. Spray Pam all over slow cooker.

2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside. Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave.

3. Whisk in 2/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa, vanilla, salt, milk and egg yolk. Add to flour and stir well.

4. Pour batter into slow cooker and spread evenly. In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa and hot water. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

5. Pour mixture over batter in slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours.

6. When done, cake is very moist -- floating on a layer of chocolate (sides pull away from pot)

Super Sinful Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had these at a family party last month and they were really and truly unbelievable. Like I literally could not prevent my hand from reaching out over and over again. Soo bad. But so good!

Bertha Mendez’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ pound butter

½ pound margarine

1 ½ cup sugar

2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons vanilla

6 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Approx. 4 cups chocolate chips (I use lg bag of CC from Costco and pour ½ bag in)

1 bag vanilla chips

½ bag of pecans from Costco. I am guessing 2-3 cups?

1. Cream together softened butter and margarine. Must use both, something about the combo of both that makes the recipe!
2. Add sugar, brown sugar and mix
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. In two separate bowls, measure 4 cups of flour in one, 2 cups in other, set this one aside.
5. In bowl with 4 cups of flour, mix in baking soda and salt.
6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture.
7. Based on the consistency you like, add as much of the remaining 2 cups of flour as you see fit, you may not use all 2 cups. I use all six because I like thicker, rounder cookies, so does Bertha, but do whatever you like.
8. This is the creative part of the recipe. Let your taste guide you. If you like chocolate chips more than vanilla chips, add more or visa versa. You can also use walnuts instead of pecans. I personally think pecans and more cc taste the best.
9. Add chocolate chips, vanilla chips, and pecans. At this point I use my hands to mix.
10. When you are ready to make the cookies, I basically make sure that there is barely enough dough to hold everything in it. If it looks like too much dough, I add more of whatever I have left.
11. Using an ice cream scoop, drop cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Salad Night

We are outdated obviously! So just because the blog is behind doesn't mean you can't come to our upcoming Cooking Night on Tuesday: Fruit!

Here is a video clip of Chef Ramsay making his super simple salad--I brought it to share last time.

Other recipes coming soon...