Star Telegram Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c minus 2 T cake flour
1 2/3 c. flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. plus 2 T. sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 lbs chocolate chips
sea salt for sprinkling

Sift dry ingredients; set aside. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars for five minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet 6 dough balls at a time for 9 minutes at 350 degrees. (Cookie balls may be sprinkled with sea salt just before baking) Allow cookies to cool on pan for 1 minute and remove to cookie rack to cool completely.
For chocolate I did 1 pkg of semisweet chocolate chips and one bar of bittersweet chocolate cut up in small pieces.

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

Crema:
1/4 c. Thinly sliced green Onions
1/4 c. Chopped fresh cilantro
3T. Fat-free mayo.
3T. Reduced-fat free sour cream
1 t. Grated lime rind
1 1/2 t. Fresh lime juice
1/4 t. Salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:
1 t. Ground cumin
1 t. Ground coriander
1/2 t. Smoked paprika
1/4 t. Ground red pepper
1/8 t. Salt
1/8 t. Garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs. Red snapper fillets
Cooking spray
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 c. Shredded cabbage

Preheat oven to 425

To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 9 mins or until done. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 T. Crema.

French Toast Bake

5 cups bread, cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. Milk
1/4 c. Sugar divided, (2t. With cinn)
1/4 t. Salt
1t. Vanilla
1t. Butter
1 t. Cinn (cinn./sugar for top)

350 degrees 8x8. 45-50 mins

Amazing Pork Chops

4 whole thick cut bone in pork chops (need to be the thick cut bone in ones with a little fat)
1 envelope onion soup mix (1 oz)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 10.5 oz can of cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dry pork gravy mix

place pork chops in the slow cooker
mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour on to chops.
cook on low 6-8 hours until they are VERY fork tender...if they still aren't fall apart cook 30 minutes more and then check again ( continue until they are how you want them)

Crockpot Carne Asada Meat for Tacos

Ingredients:

1 (3-5 pound) cut of cheap beef
flap, london broil, flank or roast all work beautifully
1/2 cup limeade
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
2 tablespoons Knorr Mexican beef boullion (granulated)
1 (7 ounce) can Embasa Salsa Verde Green
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:

Early in the morning, place your meat in a large crockpot. In a blender, combine limeade, vinegar, oil, onion, clovers, jalapeno, boullion, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Blend until well pureed. Pour the sauce over your meat, making sure it's well coated (the meat doesn't have to be entirely submerged, just nicely coated with the sauce). Cover crockpot with a lid, and cook all day on low heat. After allowing the meat to cook 8-10 hours, shred the meat, then return it to the crockpot. Stir it in the pan juices and allow it to continue cooking until it's ready to be served. Spoon over corn tortillas, top with grated cheese, homemade salsa or pico de gallo, and sour cream. Es Muy Bien!

Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup margarine, melted
TOPPING
1/2 (16 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed (i used rice krispies instead)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup brown sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Put butternut squash in the microwave and cook on high, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Cut in half, scoop out seeds and cube. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash.
In a 9x13 inch casserole dish combine 3 cups mashed butternut squash, white sugar, milk, vanilla extract, salt, flour, eggs and 1/4 cup melted margarine.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until set.
In a medium bowl combine crushed vanilla wafers, 1/2 cup melted margarine and brown sugar. Crumble over top of cooked casserole and return to oven to brown.

***I baked mine at 350 for an hr.

Apple Pie Cake

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs. hot water

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups apples, peeled, cored and diced small

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until blended. Combine flour, salt and cinnamon and add to creamed mixture then add hot water and vanilla. Fold in apples and pecans by hand and spoon into greased 9" pie plate. Bake 45 minutes. Serve with Rum Butter Sauce. Opt: I double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan serve warm with butter pecan ice cream.

Rum Butter Sauce

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream. boil slowly 1 minute then add 1 tbs. rum.

Lazy Day Beef Stew

Lazy Day Beef Stew

Oh, I know you already have an easy beef stew recipe, but mine is better. And it's easier. So let me treat you to the quickest comfort meal on the planet while you go do incredible things. 'Cause, you know...you really are just splendid.

Ingredients:
2 pounds stew beef
1 small bag baby carrots
3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
8-10 red potatoes, quartered
1 onion, quartered
1 pouch au jus gravy mix
2 pouches brown gravy mix
1 pouch ranch dressing powder
3 cups water

Directions:
Toss everything in your crockpot in the morning. Stir until well mixed. Set slowcooker to low and walk away.
Serve 8-9 hours later with hot biscuits, rolls, and giant spoons

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

A simple, earthy take on traditional enchiladas. The pumpkin cream enchilada sauce is so slightly scented with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cumin, then slathered beneath a rich layer of crumbled Queso Fresco. If you've never used Queso Fresco, you're in for a treat. It's a fresh, mild Mexican cheese which can be found in the deli. In this recipe, it's gentle flavor beautifully compliments the rest of the meal. While you can substitute it with Monterey Jack, I definitely recommend sticking to this recipe as is.

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cinnamon1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cumin
Dash of salt & pepper
8 corn tortillas
1 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled
1/4 cup. diced scallions

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onion slices. Saute until brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the pan, stirring it to mix with the caramelized onions, then remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, cream, broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper. Spoon chicken mixture into the tortilla's, rolling them tightly and placing in a medium-sized baking dish. Once all enchiladas have been rolled, spread the pumpkin cream sauce over the top. Sprinkle generously with Queso Fresco, then bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or just until the tips of the cheese begins to brown. Garnish with diced scallions before serving.

Frozen Lime Pie

LIME PIE

1 (6 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz.) carton frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed.
1 (9 inch) graham cracker or chocolate cookie pie crust.
Chocolate curls or lime slices.
Mix limeade concentrate and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Whisk just until blended. Whisk in food coloring, mix well. Fold in dessert topping. Turn mixture into pie crust. Refrigerate until firm about 3 hours. To serve, garnish with additional whipped topping and chocolate curls, or lime slices. Makes 6 servings.