A Cooking Baker

I've been trying to break out of a dinner rut lately - we got trapped in the spaghetti, tacos, pizza, chicken something loop for a bit.  We needed something quick since everyone needed to be somewhere, so I made up a batch of super simple meatballs for subs.  We had baked potato wedges and green beans on the side. Easy Meatballs 1 lb. ground beef 1/3 c. Italian bread crumbs 1 small onion, grated 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder (not garlic salt!) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl with your hands (don't squeeze a ton and overwork, or the meatballs will be tough).  Form meatballs with a light touch, and put them on the baking sheet as you go.  I didn't measure them, but I made about 30 meatballs.  Bake about 15-20 minutes until cooked through.   ...

It's officially "put pumpkin in everything" and "can you bring a treat for _______" season now that school and activities are in full swing. I broke out this recipe for dark chocolate chip pumpkin cookies this week for a gathering, and wow, they are good! The whole family loves them, and several people left with the recipe. The dough needs to chill for a bit, so keep that in mind. I am guilty of reading details like that midway through making the recipe and then having to backtrack (oops). The cookies and the dough freeze well, if you can keep from eating them all at once. I think they would made a pretty delish cookie bar, too.... Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies.  3 c. Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour (can sub all purpose flour) 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 2-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR the spice blend below 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp 1 c. granulated sugar 1 c. brown sugar, packed 2 eggs, ro...

I rarely wing it with a new recipe when I am cooking for anyone other than the immediate family, but I broke the rules and tried this one over the 4th of July weekend.  I think it turned out pretty well!  I was inspired by the coconut bacon, yes, coconut bacon, from Ney's Big Sky that we had picked up from the farmer's market. Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Kebabs with Veggies and Pineapple 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1-2 green bell peppers, cut into 1-1/2" pieces 1-2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-1/2" pieces 1 large red onion, cut into 1-1/2" pieces 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks 1 lb. bacon (coconut or otherwise), uncooked Cut the chicken into kebab-sized pieces - try to make them close to the same size so everything cooks evenly.  Cut the bacon slices in 1/2 or 1/3, and wrap one piece of bacon around each piece of chicken.  Thread the wrapped chicken pieces onto the skewers to secure the bacon (I used ...

So this is awesome.  It's a lot of work, but it is awesome.  Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great.  What more can you ask for?  I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef.  You can mix it up, but I really like this combo.  It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish.  The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or...