White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Just made these a few minutes ago!  And man are they tasty!!!  I used the coconut oil, which I love, instead of the butter.  I made half with the shredded coconut & half without because Scott & Alex don't like coconut.  So don't be telling them about the coconut oil  ;)


White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup virgin coconut oil, or 2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, optional
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add butter or coconut oil to stand mixer. Add white and brown sugar. Mix until well combined, light and fluffy if your using butter. Add egg, one at a time. Mix until well-incorporated. Add vanilla.
2. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to stand mixer and mix until just combined.
3. Add chocolate chips, and coconut if using. Mix until just combined. Drop by the tablespoon on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Eclectic Recipes

Long Time No Posts

Hey all got caught up in the day to day of life and haven't posted in a long time.  I decided now would be a great time to get back in the groove while Cedric is recouping from his knee surgery.  So here we go....again...until life gets in the way!

Pasta Bolognaise

What is my family’s favorite pasta dinner? Pasta Bolognaise!!! We used to go to Martini’s a local restaurant, best Bolognaise ever, but at $15 a plate I decided to try it at home.  The result is the following recipe and I would definitely put mine up against theirs any day!  And it is less than $20 for a complete meal for all four of us.

Pasta Bolognaise

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         1      (1 lb) rigatoni pasta

·         1       sweet Italian sausage link, casing removed

·         ½      teaspoon fennel seeds

·         3 ½   cups “Magic” Meat Sauce

·         4       ounces of goat cheese, divided

·         Parsley if desired

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In a large pasta pot, add water and salt if desired, bring to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

·         Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, remove casing from sausage, and crumble into pan.  Cook sausage over medium heat stirring and using the back of a spoon to break up the sausage into very small pieces.  Cook until all water has evaporated, sausage is no longer pink, and it is starting to brown. 

·         Add “Magic” meat sauce to pan, and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add 2-ounces of goat cheese, stirring well to combine.

·         Lightly toss pasta with a little of the sauce.

·         Divide pasta between 6 plates, top with sauce, garnish with remaining goat cheese and parsley if desired.

HINTS:

·         If you are not a fan of goat cheese you can substitute a ¼ cup of half and half in the third step and garnish with parmesan or Romano cheese.

 

SEE ALSO:

• Inside-Out Pizza Rolls
• Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw
• Three Cheese Manicotti

 

 

“Magic” Meat Sauce

I like to cook meals that do double duty…from this one sauce (which is awesome as is), I am going to post 4 additional recipes.  It is one of my favorite time and money saving recipes.  When I make the basic sauce I make multiple batches at once, it freezes beautifully, taste even better the second day, and makes it super easy to get dinner on the table multiple other nights all from one afternoon of cooking.

The original Meat Sauce recipe, Inside-Out Pizza Rolls, Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw, & Three Cheese Manicotti are all from Rachel Rays magazine, the Bolognaise Sauce is my personal adaptation.

“Magic” Meat Sauce

Makes: 7 cups  Prep: 15 min.  Cook : 2 ½ hours

 

 INGREDIENTS:

·         ¼   cup extra-virgin olive oil

·         ¼   cup chopped pancetta

·         1    onion, finely chopped

·         1    carrot, finely chopped

·         2    celery stalks, finely chopped

·         1    clove garlic, finely chopped

·         2    pounds lean ground beef

·         ½   cup dry red wine

·         One (28oz) can tomato puree

·         Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Increase heat to medium-high, add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the wine and cook until the piqued is cooked off, about 5 minutes.

·         Stir in the tomato puree and 1 cup water; and bring to a simmer.  Partially cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for the last 30 minutes, until thickened, about 2 hours.  Season with salt and pepper.

SEE ALSO:

·         Bolognaise Sauce

·         Inside-Out Pizza Rolls

·         Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw

·         Three Cheese Manicotti

HINTS:

·         Use a chopper or food processor to finely chop the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic.  They need to be very fine so the incorporate into the sauce.

·         Cook multiple batches (i.e. double, triple, or quadruple the recipe), cool and either store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

·         Be careful during the last 30 minutes of cooking, the thicker the sauce gets the often you will need to stir it.

Unstuffed Pepper Soup

This soup tastes just like stuffed peppers but is so much easier and cheaper.  The recipe can be easily halved or doubled.  If you likes stuffed peppers you will LOVE this soup.

Unstuffed Pepper Soup

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 ½ pounds of ground beef

·         3     large green peppers, chopped

·         large onion, chopped

·         cans (14 ½ ounces each) beef broth

·         cans (10 ¾ ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

·         can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained

·         can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

·         1 ½ cups cooked rice

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the beef, green peppers, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the broth, soup, tomatoes and mushrooms.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add rice and heat through.

YIELD: 10 servings

Source: Taste of Home Heartwarming Soups Evelyn Kara, Brownsville PA

Italian Sausage Meatballs stuffed with fresh Mozzarella and Tomato-Pesto Pan Sauce

Made this one for dinner tonight and the guys LOVED it!  I reworked Rachel Ray recipe to the ingredients I had on hand.  I am sure I will make this recipe again and again.

Italian Sausage Meatballs stuffed with fresh Mozzarella and Tomato-Pesto Pan Sauce

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         2    lbs Italian Sausage, bulk if available

·         1    (8 oz) container fresh mozzarella balls in water

·         1    pound of whole wheat pasta

·         2    (28 oz) cans Marzano tomatoes

·         ¼   cup good quality fresh Pesto

·         Parmesan cheese, shredded

·         Olive oil

·         Salt and Pepper

·         Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

·         Remove 12 fresh mozzarella ball from water and place on a small plate.  Get out a rimmed baking sheet and bowl.  Place Italian sausage in bowl, removing casings if you do not have bulk sausage.  Form sausage into a disk, divide disk into fourths.  Use each fourth of the disk to make 3 meatballs.

·         To make meatballs take a mozzarella ball use 1/3 of one fourth of disk and enclose the mozzarella with the sausage making a nice large meatball.  Place on baking sheet.  Continue with remainder of sausage and mozzarella making 12 meatballs.  Drizzle meatballs with olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes until done and evenly browned.

·         Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

·         While waiting for water to boil add tomatoes to a large sauce pot and use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to break up tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 5-10 minutes or until tomatoes are reduced by about 1/3 and have started to thicken.  Remove from heat add Pesto, stir well, season with salt, pepper, and sugar if desired.

·         Serve the pasta covered with sauce and topped with meatballs and grated Parmesan cheese.

HINTS:

·         The original recipe called for Italian chicken sausage, which local market did not have, so I just used regular pork Italian sausage.

·         Have all ingredients laid out and ready to go before you start.  The recipe moves along quickly and you really can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes Mama Withrow’s Way

For me mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and I often make them for my many visiting “kids”.  I have yet to find one that can eat more of my mashed potatoes than Germie (aka Aaron Germann) with a very close second going to Hayley Wihlon.  So I am dedicating this recipe to you two, for all the fights that have ensued over which one of you would get the most….and for all your wondering minds….it was always Germie J.

Mashed Potatoes Mama Withrow’s Way

INGREDIENTS:

·         3   pounds  Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into large chunks

·         1   teaspoon sea salt

·         4   tablespoons butter

·         3   ounces low-fat cream cheese

·         ¼  cup milk

·         Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Peel potatoes if desired, if not just wash them well. 

·         Cut potatoes into large chunks, place in a Dutch oven, add salt, and enough water just to cover potatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, simmer 15 minutes or until just tender.  DO NOT OVER COOK!

·         While potatoes are cooking cut the butter and cream cheese into chunks and place into a glass bowl along with the milk.  Microwave 2 minutes at 50% power or until warm.

·         Drain potatoes well, return to pan or a large mixing bowl, add warmed butter, cream cheese, and milk.  Mix with electric mixer or potato masher just until blended. DO NOT OVERMIX, or potatoes will become gummy.

·         Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper if needed.

·         Serve warm.

HINTS:

·         Potatoes vary in amount of moisture so you may need to adjust by adding more or less milk. 

·         I like my mashed potatoes nice and thick, again if you like yours thinner add a little more milk or butter.

·         Add, cheese, chives, bacon, herbs, or whatever you like right before mashing.