Cornbread....page 283

I hadn't made these in a mini muffin pan before, they cook ALOT faster. So watch them carefully. Mine were done in 7 minutes...any more and they would have started drying out.
It made 24 muffins.
When I was younger and living at home, if we had cornbread at dinner, it was a tradition to pull out the honey and molasses and after dinner. We would turn the rest of the cornbread into dessert and soak it in the stickiness of choice. I always looked forward to the end of the meal for that treat. Adam says that was a little weird...he said for dessert he would rather have a cookie!
--Carissa

Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies, pg. 219

There is a bit of a trick to get these cookies thin enough--and that is what makes them crispy, which is what is unique about this cookie. I recently took these cookies to my Dad in the hospital, becuase I knew this crisp cookie stays fresh tasting longer than does a soft and chewy cookie. I did make one revision in this recipe, which calls to dip the bottom of a glass into flour and then press down on the ball of cookie dough (step 2). Instead of flour, I used sugar, which was Carissa's reccomendation she tried, and passed the tip to me. It makes for a prettier cookie, as the flour sometimes left white smears on the finished cookies. Dipping in the sugar looks much nicer.

I also use a little pizza crust roller I have to roll the cookie just a bit thinner still than what the glass pressing does.  I know this is extra work, but it really is worth it!

When I press down the ball of cookie dough, and after I roll it even a little more flat with my pizza roller, I like to then use a table knife to even up the edges and keep a smooth circle on the cookie. This cookie will not change or spread as it is baking, so get it to its finished size when you are flattening and shaping it. I think these cookies look great when they are kind of on the big side.  I didn't get a picture of my finished cookie--so just imagine these with a deep golden brown color, and you have the idea! You are going to love these cookies!

Belgian Waffles... page 307

These waffles were a yummy treat on a COLD morning! I added a sprinkle of cinnamon in the batter just because I saw it sitting there on my spice shelf and it sounded good. I even had enough waffles leftover to freeze some for another morning. Below I included a picture of what the egg whites should look like once you beat them to soft peaks. Enjoy! --Carissa

Perfectly Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies, pg. 216

You will love all the peanuts in these crunchy peanut butter cookies! I made these for a gift basket to give away and wanted them to look a little special, so I sprinkled the tops with sugar right after they come out of the oven. I like the sparkly effect! This is a fast and easy recipe. I cooked each sheet 7 minutes, rather than the 8 to 10 minutes the recipe states. (But I think my oven cooks a little hot.) You will want a glass of milk with these cookies.

Spinach and Walnut Pesto... Page 26

I just thought I'd share what I had for lunch today. I made the pesto on page 26, but to make it healthier I added in several spoonfuls of chickpeas. They were a great addition I thought, then again I love any pesto! It made it higher in fiber for one thing. Then I tossed it with my whole wheat pasta and topped with some sauteed zucchini and mushrooms, then a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. It made for a very healthy vegetarian meal. My 4 and 2 year old weren't quite as excited about the sauteed veggies as I was, oh well, you win some and loose some.
--Carissa

Spicy, Healthy Meatloaf, pg. 171

Every time I make this tasty meatloaf, I admit I try something new. I love to try eliminating steps, just to see if they are really all that important! I know that sounds bad, but often it does work into streamlining a recipe. On this meatloaf, I decided to skip the saute of the small diced vegetables. That meant less butter and less work. It just seemed those vegetables could cook just fine while baking in the meatloaf--and I was right. No ill-effects from skipping the last half of step 1 in this recipe! 

I want to show you my meatloaf pan I have used for years--I don't even remember where I got it. But the two layers of pans are wonderful to drain off the grease to make a low-fat meatloaf.  I found a link on Amazon that still sells these for just around 12 dollars. http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Piece-Nonstick-Meatloaf-Bread/dp/B0002L0ZMK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265720188&sr=8-2

I like to use a very healthy bread in my meatloaf, because meatloaf just hides all that nutrition so well! Another thing I love doing, is mixing up meatloaf, and meatballs too, in my mixer. It works so fast and there is no mess.

I had some extra of the meatloaf mixture (and I added part ground turkey also) that didn't fit in my pan, so I made some large meatballs, and then poured the beef broth around them to cook. This recipe will make meatballs just fine. (The broth keeps meatballs from becoming tough or dry in the oven.)

And here is the finished Spicy, Healthy Meatloaf!

Simplified Chicken Cordon Bleu, pg.135

As Carissa and I make recipes from What We Cook, we will try to remember to take pictures to post them for you to get an idea of how they should look. I almost forgot the picture of tonight's dinner. I had to grab David's plate away from him after a couple bites, cause his plate looked the best! I did make some additions to this old time favorite at our house. I only had one chicken breast to use, so I added some extra vegatables I had on hand.  Before sauteing the chicken strips in the butter, I first sauteed some fresh red pepper strips and some large hunks of baby portabella mushrooms I had in the fridge. These two veggies made a great addition to this delicious dish. The ham I used was a leftover slice I had stuck in the freezer after our Christmas dinner. So I was able to make this dinner up really fast and easy!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake--pg. 251

Lorrie Breed (Janice's sister) - comment from January 24, 2010

I made that cream cheese pound cake again. Everyone wanted the recipe...
David asked me today if I could make that once a month. I hardly ever make sweets just for us, so I guess he figured asking for it once a month might fly...
That once-a month it seems might become a family "staple".