Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

This is my new favorite shortcut dessert recipe. They are delicious and they taste like I took a lot longer to make them than I did.

One prepared batch of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix (or your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe)

One bag semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies

Heat Oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray Bottom Only of 13X9-Inch Pan With Cooking Spray. Make Cookie Dough As Directed. Press In Pan. Bake 12 to 15 Minutes Or Until Edges Are Light Golden Brown. Cool 5 Minutes. In Small Microwavable Bowl, Microwave 2 Cups Chocolate Chip On High 1 to 1 1/2 Minutes Or Until Chips Can Be Stirred Smooth. Spread Over Bars Refrigerate About 30 Minutes Or Until Chocolate Is Set. Cut Into Bars. 24 Bars.

Chicken Cacciatore

My husband and I went on the Atkins diet for about a week and a half before one holiday season and we found this recipe in one of the Atkins cookbooks and loved it. We left the low carb lifestyle behind us forever but we did keep the Chicken Cacciatore recipe!

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Add onion, garlic and rosemary to pan; cook 4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Add salt and pepper flakes.Return chicken, skin side up, and accumulated juices to skillet. Cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Boil sauce 2 minutes to thicken; spoon over chicken.

Baked Artichoke Dip

I got this recipe from my Aunt Rita who go the recipe from a Southern Living cookbook, I think. Whatever its origins--it's a crowd pleaser!

1 (14oz) can Artichocke hearts or hearts of palm, drained and chopped.

1 cup Grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup Mayonnaise

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon Hot sauce

Combine all ingredients, stirring well: spoon into a lightly greased 1 quart casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

I serve this dip with Wheat Thins, Triscuits, toasted baguette slices, and/or celery.

Honey Garlic Chicken

This is my mom's adaptation of a recipe from Taste of Home. It is sweet and garlicky and buttery and oh-so-good! I usually add some chicken broth and decrease the butter to make it stick to the arteries a little less...

Ingredients

6 med chicken drumsticks

6 med chicken thighs

6 potatoes, chopped

12 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup butter

salt and pepper

1/4 cup honey

Parsley and paprika

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chicken and potatoes in a large roasting pan. Pour butter over and sprinkle with chopped garlic, salt, and papper. Bake 40 minutes basting frequently. Drizzle honey and bake another 20 minutes.

PASTA IN A CREAMY ARTICHOKE AND SAFFRON SAUCE

I got this recipe online here but it's also a recipe from Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals. I added some chicken and served it with a green salad. My husband loved it but my four-year-old said it "wasn't his favorite recipe" but he ate up the chicken that was simmered in the saffron sauce and left the noodles--he hasn't been a big pasta fan lately.

PASTA IN A CREAMY ARTICHOKE AND SAFFRON SAUCE

Writes Ray: "The saffron does all the work for you in this dish -- you'll freak out when you take your first bite and actually taste how easy this was to make."

• Water
• Salt, to taste
• 1 pound long-cut or short-cut pasta
• 2 tablespoons E-V-O-O (extra-virgin olive oil), plus extra for drizzling
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• Generous pinch of saffron
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup white wine (eyeball it)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• About 1/3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (eyeball it)
• 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, a couple of generous handfuls, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra to pass at the table

Fill a large pot with water, cover tightly and place it over high heat. Bring it to a boil to cook the pasta. Once it comes to a boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, swirled twice to coat the pan. Add the onion, garlic, saffron, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion starts to look tender. The onion will turn an outrageous yellow color, because of the saffron.

Add the white wine; continue to cook until the wine has almost evaporated, for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cream, then bring the sauce up to a bubble and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add the artichokes and cook until heated through, for about 1 minute more. The sauce will be a beautiful yellow and will seem a little thin.

Add the parsley and drained pasta and stir to combine with the sauce. The pasta will start soaking up the sauce right away. Turn the heat off, add 1/2 cup grated cheese and stir to distribute. Taste and season the pasta with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with a little extra grated cheese.

My Mom's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are two secrets to this recipe--1. Don't forget the nuts 2. Freeze whatever cookies you don't eat right away, otherwise they dry out quickly. Since this recipe freezes so well, double, triple, or quadruple the recipe.

Step 1: Cream the following ingredients--

1/2 cup shortening (Crisco please)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Step 2: Add the following ingredients--

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup broken walnuts

Drop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Getting rid of the clutter

Today I decided to start a recipe blog for a few very uncomplicated reasons...

I love to cook.

I cannot keep a recipe book or recipe box of my recipes organized and my current collection of recipes is a mess.

I am very good at organizing on the computer.

What I publish online is safe from fire, water damage, etc... (same reason my photos are on both Snapfish and Facebook...)

These are simply the recipes that...

I have used.

I have liked.

I want to keep.

If my sense of taste is good enough for you, please bookmark this site--I'll be updating sporadically.