Susie's Kitchen

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

2011-11-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

This cookie is like a chocolate-chip cookie - only in reverse. I must admit, it's a recipe off the back of a Nestle White Chocolate Chip bag so all the credit goes to the baking people at Nestle House. All you have to do is get out some classic cookie baking ingredients, including baking cocoa (that makes the chocolate part of the cookie dough). The family here at the Skitt House recently tried this flip-flopped chocolate cookie with white chips for the first time and gave it a resounding "thumbs up". So give something backwards a try. You'll like it!

2 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Premier White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded tsp. onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool.

Hint: My ten-year-old son and his soccer buddy liked these cookies warm, right out the oven!

Nanna's Homemade Potato Stuffing

2011-11-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

This potato stuffing recipe is tried and true. It is not your typical "heavily herbed" stuffing. My family loves this recipe handed down from my grandmother - my Nanna. It is moist, mild and very tasty. This dish is a Thanksgiving tradition in the Zweitzig family and it tastes great reheated too (and I don't say that about many dishes)! I need to apologize in advance about the vagueness of the directions. After all, it is something that my grandmother made without following a recipe. Enjoy this delicious side dish with your turkey this year!

1/4 mashed potato ratio to 3/4 bread (use homemade mashed potatoes)
Celery, diced with onion and cook until tender.
Add to mashed potatoes, 1 egg and parsley.
Wet the bread and crumble.
Add salt, pepper and a little onion powder to taste.
If dry, add some milk.
Mix and bake in covered pan at 325 degrees until heated.

My mom's version is as follows: She says she likes to use more mashed potatoes. For ease she uses instant potatoes - about 6 cups of finished mashed potatoes. Add a can of cream of celery soup. Chop up bread & add until right consistency. Add parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Spray bottom of pan with cooking spray. Cover in foil & heat in oven.

Here's a money saving hint from my mom - save the ends of bread loaves and freeze them for use in this recipe. Like the saying goes, "A penny saved is a penny earned!"

Berry Yogurt Cups

2011-01-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick and easy recipe that is berry good! This fruity no-bake treat can be eaten alone or with any meal. Try it with any combination of your favorite fruits. This recipe makes four servings so if you're making a solo portion, adjust accordingly. Enjoy!

1-1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries
1-1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1 six oz. container of lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar (I use organic or raw sugar)
1/8 to 1/4 t. ground cinnamon

Divide strawberries and blueberries among four individual serving dishes. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over fruit evenly. The fruit is the major portion of this dish and the yogurt acts more like a creamy dressing.

WW value - For my single serving portion, I used about about 2 oz. lowfat organic vanilla yogurt (about 1/3 of a six oz. container or 1/4 c. yogurt from a large container). I figured with the type of yogurt that I bought that my yogurt portion is worth 1 pt. on the WW program with the added 1/4 t. of sugar. Look at the nutritional information on the yogurt that you buy and adjust accordingly. If you make all 6 oz. of the yogurt dressing at once, you can save the rest for later in the week. My single serving of fruit was a 1/2 c. mixed berries. As always, fruit 0 points on the Points Plus Plan.

Original Recipe Credit: Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

Very Veggie Vegetable Soup

2011-01-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, get ready to be vegged out - really this soup is full of loads of vegetables and surprise - it tastes good too! I modified a Weight Watchers recipe to my taste and veggie preferences. It makes about 4 servings and because of the corn & peas, it's probably worth 1 point on the WW plan to play it safe since corn and peas are starchy vegetables. (The WW plan recipe doesn't use celery but uses carrots that you saute, it doesn't use as much tomato paste, only 1 TBSP, & it skips the mixed veggies and uses spinach and zucchini instead, however theirs is 0 points.) So take your pick! Below is my recipe.

Very Veggie Vegetable Soup

1/4 onion, diced
1 piece of celery, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup diced green cabbage
1 container of low-salt or organic beef broth (32 oz.)
1/2 small can of tomato paste (3 oz. of a 6 oz. can)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 package of frozen mixed vegetables (my bag of organic veggies had corn, peas, beans, & carrots)

Spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray, heat. Saute the onion, garlic, & celery over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth and tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt, (I just added a pinch of the basil, oregano, & salt) heat and mix until tomato paste is dissolved. Add cabbage and frozen mixed vegetables and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Thumbprint Cookies

2010-12-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

This is a classic recipe for Christmas. My oldest son asked me the other day, "Mom, are we ever going to make thumbprint cookies?" A friend had delivered a tray of cookies to us that included, you guessed it, thumbprints. I hadn't made them in years! My youngest son (age nine) didn't even know what thumbprint cookies were. Had it really been that long? "Oh, they're fun to make. You get to press your thumb into the dough and fill it with yummy stuff," I replied.

I especially enjoy popping these little gems into my mouth. Maybe that's why I haven't made them in years! So, out of my old and very disheveled recipe box I retrieved my mom's tried and true version of this timeless favorite. Enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs (separated)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Jelly (Try different jellies. Grape jelly is good, but experiment. We did a few with Polaner All-Fruit Black Cherry and they were delicious! My nine-year-old used mini-chocolate chips and my teen used Nutella spread. Please let me know if you try something and it turns out good. I receive comments on my Adventures in Living blog, www.susanskitt.com and look forward to hearing from you.)
Optional: 1 cup finely chopped nuts -(I don't like nuts in cookies so I leave these out.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix thoroughly softened butter, shortening, egg YOLKS, sugar, & vanilla.

Work in flour and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough by teaspoon fulls into 1 inch balls. If needed, refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes or so it is not sticky and easy to roll.

If using nuts, you will use the egg whites. Beat egg whites slightly - dip each ball into egg whites and roll in nuts.

Place on ungreased cookie baking sheet. Press thumb deeply into center, making a dip in the dough, however don't press all the way through to the cookie tray. Fill with jelly & bake about 8-10 minutes or until light brown.

Credits: Mom Zweitzig

Out of this World Black Joe Cake

2007-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup powdered cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup brewed strong black coffee
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix wet ingredients with beater. Add dry ingredients and mix well with electric mixer until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes in a greased oblong cake pan. Makes good cupcakes too. Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes.

Okay, I'm sorry the directions are really obscure, (obscure seems to be my word of the week). But this recipe is passed down from my mom from who knows where? I never understood the reason it was called "Black Joe" until I realized coffee is called "A cup of Joe" (where did cup of Joe come from anyhow?) and the black part I suppose means using a "dark, strong" cup of coffee in the recipe. Personally, I do not like coffee, much to my husband's dismay (he's still trying to convert this hot chocolate gal to a coffee drinker), so don't let the coffee part scare you away. I can't even taste it. But the taste of this moist, rich, chocolate cake is out of this world! My mom would make this for all our birthday cakes. Just find a good icing recipe to go with it. A smooth butter icing is delicious, yum! (P.S. Icing this moist cake is difficult. A trick is to bake ahead and freeze the cake. When ready to use, pull it out and ice while frozen. Let defrost on counter before party.)

Oh, by the way, my brother insists this cake we grew up enjoying is called "Black Cow" cake. Hmm, brother dear, I still disagree. (Hee, hee, hee) Either way, it's out of this world on the taste scale of yum!

Credits: Mom Zweitzig

Dandy Dippin' Fruit Dip

2007-11-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

8 ounces cool whip (soft)
1 (8-ounce) container strawberry-banana yogurt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix and refrigerate until use.

This is a fun way to jazz up a plain fruit tray. It has become a personal party favorite and people think it took sooooo much effort to make. Surprise!

Tastes great with most fruits and an added bonus is you're eating healthy! Yea!

Credits: Unknown, passed along the friend "grapevine"

Very Yummy Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

2007-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (cover in glass bowl and microwave on low and stir)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate crumb crust (see below)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare chocolate crumb crust. In large mixer bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Chill. Garnish as desired. (Strawberries or whipped cream make a delightful topping.) Refrigerate leftovers. Makes one 9-in. (very yummy) cheesecake.

Chocolate crumb crust: In medium bowl, combine 1 & ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers), ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa and 1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted. Press firmly on bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

All right, this is one of those recipes that isn't so simple, but it's worth it! This is a chocolate lover’s dream! This health conscience gal is encouraging you to forget about the calories on this one. I surprised my husband with this on Valentines Day one year and let’s just say it was true love! One piece of advice: make sure your hubby’s favorite dessert isn’t Peach Cobbler or you may not have the same results. (Smile) For a quick and easy Peach Cobbler recipe, see below.

Credits: Elsie's Market: Home for the Holidays

Tummy Warming Apple Cider

2007-09-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

1 gallon apple cider
3 small 6oz. cans of pineapple juice (they come in a pack of six at the grocery store)
1 cup orange spice herbal tea (place tea bag for several minutes in 8 ounces of hot water then remove)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole all spice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 empty spice bag w/drawstring or a square piece of cheesecloth w/1 piece of string (I’ve used white sewing thread)

Mix juices and cup of tea in a crock pot. Put whole all spice and cloves in spice bag/or middle of cloth and tie shut with string. Put spice bag in pot and add 2 cinnamon sticks into the cider mixture. Simmer 4-8 hours on low. (Add water to taste while simmering if needed - I don't however and it tastes fine.)

There is nothing like some hot apple cider to warm your tummy. This delicious recipe makes an enormous batch, so invite some friends over, make a favorite dessert recipe, and pull out some of those old board games. You may even start a fun, new tradition!

P.S. If you're not planning on a party, you could cut the recipe ingredients in half so you're not drinking apple cider all week.

P.S.S. The writers group I attend LOVE this beverage! I have personal requests to bring it to our monthly group meetings in the fall and winter. The hot cider travels well in a large insulated drink dispenser.

Credits unknown. This one was passed along by a friend.

Simply Peachy Peach Cobbler

2007-09-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

One 15 oz. can sliced peaches, un-drained
1/3 c. sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
½ stick butter, softened

Pour un-drained peaches into a 9” pie plate. Sprinkle with sugar and then dry cake mix. Place butter slices on top of cake mix. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This fruit cobbler dessert is a winner! It is so good, it even fooled the sensitive tastebuds of my “only fresh peaches, never canned, only good if it’s from scratch husband!” He loved it - couldn’t believe it was a canned/boxed duo. This delightful dish tastes especially good on a cold, blustery day, while snuggling under a comfy blanket reading a good book. Enjoy!

Credits: Pampered Chef