Akbirdie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, to be fair this isn’t entirely my own recipe.  It’s actually a variation of Betty Crocker’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie.  Unfortunately the recipe seems to disappear and then reappear from the internet.  I have tweaked it and made it *perfect*  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour, sifted (this is very important)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 pkg chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine sugars, softened butter, egg, and vanilla.  Make sure butter is softened, almost a whipped consistency.
2. Add flour, one cup at a time.  Make sure you sift it as you mix it in.
3. Add chocolate chips.
4. Use a table spoon to measure out dough.  Place each ball of dough about an inch or so apart.  These cookies will spread out.
5. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.
6. Enjoy with a large glass of milk and good company

Akbirdie’s Gourmet Burgers

This delicious recipe is actually my husband’s recipe.  We always use moose meat for these burgers, however if you’re using beef you can skip the egg.  That is just added in to help the meat stick together since moose is so lean.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean burger- moose or beef
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 6 slices cheddar cheese
• 6 pineapple slices
• lettuce
• ketchup and/or mayo
• 6 burger buns

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and onions.
2. Mix burger into sauce.
3. Add the egg.  Mix very well.
4. Form burger into six patties.  Keep in mind what kind of grill you have,we have an infra-red grill so our patties will poof out.  Most other grills allow the patties to shrink.
5. 
6. Grill burgers
7. 
8. When burgers are completed turn the grill off and put a slice of cheese on each burger.   Shut the grill and allow cheese to melt.
9. Serve on buns with ketchup, mayo, lettuce and pineapple.
10. Enjoy!

Beef and Broccoli

I’ve been looking for a good beef and broccoli recipe for sometime now.  I love the simplicity of this one from Chris from Kansas on Recipe Zaar.  Complete this meal with Akbirdie’s Rangoons on the side!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clove garlic- minced
• 1 lb boneless round steak or charcoal chuck steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips.
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 small onion, chopped up
• 1 carrot, peeled into strips
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Mix minced garlic, 2 tbsp water and 2 tbsp corn starch in a large bowl.
2. Coat beef with mixture.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in frying pan.  Cook meat and set aside.
4. Wipe the pan with a paper towel or rag.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in frying pan.  Fry vegetables for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add meat to frying pan.
7. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar,ginger and 1 tbsp cornstarch.
8. Add soy mixture to frying pan.  Heat thoroughly
9. Serve over white rice.
10. Enjoy!

Akbirdie’s Corn Fritters

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Directions:

1. Sift flour into a large bowl.  Add sugar and baking powder.  Mix well.
2. Mix in milk and corn.
3. Use a table spoon to measure out each fritter.  Fry.
4. If you are using a deepfryer set it to 365F, it should take about a minute, or until each fritter is golden.
5. If you are frying on the stove, be careful! Fry until each side is golden.  Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Appetizer- Salami Rolls

My mom used to make these for every family gathering we had, and they were always the first to disappear.  This is perhaps the easiest appetizer I know of.  Now I don’t have photos because I haven’t made them recently, but I have a craving so photos will be in the near future

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Salami slices
• 1 pkg softened cream cheese

Directions:

1. With a butter knife spread the cream cheese onto one side of the salami slice.
2. Roll up the Salami slice
3. Eat them up!

Jalapeno Poppers

For Christmas my husband gave me an awesome little deep fryer.   This beauty keeps the oil from popping out and burning, which has enabled me to explore a whole new world in the kitchen for me.  My first experiment was jalapeno poppers, from HLSANDS.

Ingredients:

• 12 jalapenos
• 1 pkg cream cheese
• 8 oz shredded cheese- your choice
• 1 tbsp bacon bits
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• oil for frying

Directions:

1. Cut the jalapenos in half and remove the seeds.  If you’d like your poppers to have more heat save some of the seeds.  Also it is a good idea to wear gloves while removing the seeds.
2. 
3. If you want your poppers to be smaller cut them in half again.  I did this so mine would all be bite size.
4. In a medium bowl mix the softened cream cheese with the bacon bits, cheese and any seeds you saved.  Mix well.
5. Scoop the cream cheese mixture into each one of the jalapeno shells.
6. Dip each piece into the milk, then the flour.  Wait 10 minutes.
7. Dip each piece into the milk, then the breadcrumbs.  Wait 10 minutes. Repeat.
8. Bring oil to 365F.  Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Super Easy Yams

Tonight I had my favorite dinner of all time- ham with pineapples on it, yams and my grandma’s home-made braided bread.  These yams were super easy to whip together for my side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of yams or sweet potatoes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• pecans- optional
• marshmallows optional

Directions:

1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Add brown sugar and mix thoroughly
3. Pour yams into a baking dish.
4. Mix in butter mixture.  If you are adding pecans add them now.
5. If you like plop in a couple of marshmallows
6. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.  If you have marshmallows you want the tops to be browned.

Stained Glass Cookies

This Christmas Season I did a lot of baking.  I also discovered a new cookie recipe that was a joy to make and beautiful from Simply Recipes.  I made a couple batches for a fundraiser our Rotary Club had and the kids loved them.    I discovered that the trick to this recipe is a metal pan and tinfoil. Also, patience.   Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• crushed hard candies- jolly ranchers or life savers

Directions:

1. Line metal cookie sheet with tinfoil
2. In large bowl mix the butter and sugar until they are creamy
3. Add the molasses and vanilla extract.  Mix in the egg.  Mix thoroughly
4. In another bowl sift together the flour and baking powder
5. Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  When completely mixed together separate dough into two balls.  wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for at least an hour at room temperature.
6. Preheat oven to 375F
7. Roll out dough, cut out into shapes and move onto tinfoil lined metal pan.  Cut out center of dough to make shapes.  Fill with crushed hard candies.
8. Bake for about 8 minutes
9. Remove from oven and place in freezer for 5 mins, or until the center of the cookies are hardened.  Carefully remove from cookie sheet and make the next batch.

Braided Bread

I remeber making braided bread with my mom and sister as a kid.  I was always so proud of the end result, the bread was beautiful, even artful.  I had decided to make a loaf for my secret santa this year. Unfortunately I didn’t have the recipe we had used growing up.  I intend to get it from my grandma tomorrow, she still whips up the best braided bread.  For the time being I improvised with this lovely little recipe from Chef in You.

Ingredients:

• 3 and 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp dried active yeast
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 4 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine yeast, honey, milk and butter.  Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile mix the flour and the salt in a seperate bowl.  Make hole in the center of flour mixture- like a well.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Knead dough until it becomes smooth and elasticy.
5. Cover bowl with plastic and let sit for 2 hours
6. Punch down risen dough and knead again
7. Divide dough into three parts.  Roll out each part into a long string.
8. Braid the bread- remember that the bread will continue to rise so don’t make the braids too tight or too large.
9. Cover loosely in plastic and let rise for another 30 minutes.  Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 F.
10. In a small bowl beat the egg.  Then brush the egg onto all the braids of the bread.
11. Bake for 40 minutes.
12. Serve warm with butter, jelly or jam!

I gave this to my secret santa with some home made jam.  She loved it!

Banana Muffins

Once again allrecipes.com came through for me on a recipe hunt.  I wanted to try making banana muffins.  Here are the tasty results.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 very ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

Topping

• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Mix all wet ingredients- bananas, butter, egg, and both sugars- in a small bowl
3. In a seperate bowl mix the dry ingredients- flour, baking soda and baking powder.  I sprinkled some cinnamon into it as well
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.  Mix thoroughly
5. Once all is mixed, scoop into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.  Fill to top of cupcake liner.

Topping

1. cut butter into little chunks
2. mix flour and cinnamon with butter- you want the consistancy of corn meal
3. sprinkle onto muffins
4. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes

These muffins were very tasty, however be sure to not over mix the topping.  I think I shall experiment with this recipe a bit.  I think a little bit of sugar would taste much better in the topping, and I forgot to add the brown sugar to the batter!  At least it was a tasty mistake