Welcome to the Cook's Corner!

It's been a while since I've shared some of my family's favorite recipes with you so today I will give you two of our best fall treats! The photo of the ingredients above is for "Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies". Years ago when Mr. Panache and I first were married, his wonderful Mother shared this recipe with me. I had eaten pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin soup but NEVER pumpkin cookies!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

~~~~~

5 Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Nutmeg

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

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1 Large Can Pumpkin Filling (unseasoned)

1 Package Chocolate Chips - 12 oz.

1 Cup Walnuts, chopped

Here is my Pumpkin Cookie Jar. It's the perfect place to store the MANY cookies this recipe makes. Last year I displayed my cookie jar in the center of my kitchen table. To embellish the jar I used a few fall floral picks to form a wreath around the base.

Directions:

Combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla using electric mixer or hand beater.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together.

Add pumpkin and dry ingredients alternately to the liquid mixture, mixing well with a spoon. Then add chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350* for 10 minutes.

Makes about 6 dozen

(That's enough to share with neighbors and friends! Or you could just eat them all yourself but don't get mad at me if you can't fit into your favorite jeans afterwards! ;-)

Here's a great tip from Grannie Annie (my Mother-in-law):

Use an extra small ice cream scoop to drop the cookie batter on the baking sheet. It makes the job a lot easier and you have uniformity in size.

After you make your Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies, pack up a little hamper with some sandwiches, cookies and a thermos full of pipin' hot cider or coffee and take a stroll down this tree-lined lane with your favorite guy. In my case - 3 favorite guys!

Fall is a wonderful time for hosting a harvest-time get together or football party. We are always looking for quick and yummy receipes that we can fix in a hurry! Below is a new recipe that I found on bhg.com
Blue Cheese Ricotta Dip
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
8 ounces blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Maytag, crumbled (2 cups)
2 tablespoons apple cider or milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Snipped fresh chives or your favorite herb
Green and/or red apple slices
Breadsticks or crackers
Directions:
1. Allow ricotta and blue cheese to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. In a medium bowl stir together the cheeses, mashing with a fork until well combined.
2. Stir in the apple cider. Add pepper to taste. Spoon into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with apple slices, breadsticks or crackers. Makes 8 servings.
This dip would also make a great spread for a fresh, grilled burger on game day!
Nothing causes me to catch my breath more than the beauty of God's creation. I have always been in love with the colors of Autumn. This is a picture from Maine. One thing I would love to do is take a road trip through New England during the fall stopping at little Bed & Breakfasts along the way. Maybe Mr. Panache will read this and take a hint!

I also promised to share another of my family's favorite cookie treats -

Outlandish Oatmeal Supremes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Flour, plain

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup Coconut

3 Cups Quick-cooking Oats

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5 Tablespoons flour, plain

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Vegetable Shortening (Like Crisco)

1 Cup Granulated Sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

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To make the Oatmeal Supremes:

Mix the first eight (8) ingredients. Drop by teaspoon on non-stick cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350* for 8 minutes.

Baking Tip:

Use parchment paper to line you cookie sheet. It makes for better browing and easy cleanup. Again, try substituting a small ice cream scoop for a teaspoon when dropping the cookie dough onto the sheet.

~~~~~

To make the Cookie Creme:

Cook flour and milk to a thick paste.

Chill mixture in refrigerator.

Mix shortening, sugar, salt in a bowl with electric mixer.

Add mixture to paste one tablespoon at a time.

Mix until smooth.

Place a teaspoon of filling on the bottom of one Oatnmeal Supreme Cookie, top with a second cookie to make a cookie sandwich. Makes 20 servings.

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I hope you will enjoy these family favorite treats. This weekend I will be putting the finishing touches on my outdoor decor and giving the house a good cleaning. I am going to a Christmas Craft Fair with my friend early Saturday morning. I hope to get some great pictures I can share with all of you next week. Until then,

Live Life Beautifully!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Blueberry Chicken Salad

Welcome to the Cook's Corner!

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe with you so today I will share a brand new recipe from my cooking club. During the hot, lazy days of summer I like to eat cool, crisp salads. I can salad everyday! The key to not getting bored with "rabbit food" as my husband calls it, is to mix it up and try different variations. There's an old saying about eating a "rainbow" in your diet. The more colorful your fruits and veggies are the more nutrients, expecially antioxidents, that you are consuming. Of course with all the health awareness about antioxidents we all need to get more of this healthy, disease fighting nutrient.

Today's recipe is BLUEBERRY CHICKEN SALAD.

Let's take a look: This recipe can punch up the creamy goodness of the ordinary chicken salad by adding a sweet-tart burst from fresh blueberries. Here's what you will need -

Blueberry Chicken Salad

1/2 cup light mayo - I use Hellman's.

3 tablespoons light sour cream - I use Breakstone's

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice - squeezed fresh

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or you could use boneless, skinless chicken breasts grilled)

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (love the crunchiness they add!)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cups blueberries (rinsed and dried very well)

4 cups of torn tender salad greens (I like to use Bibb or Butter Leaf)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

Combine the first six (6) ingredients in a large bowl. This forms your dressing.

Stir in chicken, water chestnuts, green onions and celery.

Gently fold in blueberries (make sure you have dried your berries very well, otherwise they will water-down your dressing mix and make it runny)

Serve over salad greens. Top with toasted almonds.

This salad is so yummy! Rich in protein, low in carbs! Cool and crisp - the perfect summer salad. I hope you enjoy it! Until I see you again,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

Foodie Friday - Strawberry Dream Cake with French Vanilla Whipped Frosting

Welcome to my very first FOODIE FRIDAY!

This week's theme is CAKE so in honor of Mother's Day I wanted to share a lovely Strawberry Cake recipe from my M-I-L, Ann. I've modified the topping a little by adding some "fluff". I love strawberries and during the season I can eat them almost non-stop. This recipe features fresh picked berries and strawberry puree and syrup.

STRAWBERRY CAKE:

1 package yellow cake mix
2/3 cup water

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 package strawberry jello (3-0z.)

1 cup fresh strawberries

Combine cake mix, water, oil, jello and strawberries. Blend well. Pour into prepared 9x13" cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

For the French Vanilla Whipped Frosting I used:

2 cups French Vanilla flavored Cool-Whip

1 package instant Vanilla pudding

1 cup cold milk

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup strawberry flavored syrup (the type used for ice cream)

Combine the pudding mix with 1 cup cold milk. Beat until thickened. Fold in Cool-Whip. Mix well.

Puree fresh strawberries with 1/2 cup strawberry syrup. Spread mixture on top of cooled cake. Then spread French Vanilla Frosting on top.

Garnish with fresh sliced strawberries. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Store any leftovers (most likely you won't have any) in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from melting.

For a creme-style cake take 2/3 box confectioner's sugar, a little juice from the strawberries, just enough juice to make a glaze. Mix well. Pour over the top of cake and let it drip down the sides. Yummy!

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This recipe is sure to please Mom and what could be prettier than a Pink cake for Mother's Day?

I hope all of you MOMS have a wonderful and restful day! Blessings!

Until I see you again,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Lemon Curd Layer Cake and Yellow Daisies

Have you ever had a day when things just didn't go the way they were planned? Well that was my yesterday! I wanted to post a project that I'm working on featuring Jelly Bean Pots but that was not meant to be. So I wll feature that a little later this week. In the meanwhile, I'll share a new recipe with you. You might remember that I'm a huge fan of Sandra Lee and love the concept of semi-homemade. That's where this recipe comes in. My mother loves lemon anything and I wanted to test a few recipes that used lemon. I decided to play "Sandra Lee" and spruce up a boxed cake mix with a little added zest. Here's my version of Lemon Curd Layer Cake. I was really happy with the way it tured out. Here's what I used.

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix

3 teaspoons of fresh grated lemon peel

1 pkg Jello sugar free instant pudding - Lemon flavored

3 Eggs

1/3 cup Organic Canola Oil

1 1/3 cups of water

1 - 7.5 oz jar Dickinson's all-natural Lemon Curd

Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting (recipe below)

~~~~~~~~~~

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans, butter bottom and sides.
3. Mix first 5 ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds until moistened. Then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
4. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30-34 minutes on middle rack of heated oven.
5. Remove cakes and allow to cool completely.
6. Once the cakes are cooled, remove from the pans, level the layers by cutting away any rounded, raised cake from the tops.
7. Place a little of the Lemon Curd on a cake stand (this will hold the bottom layer in place.) Place the bottom layer on top of the stand.
8. Empty the entire contents of the Lemon Curd on top of the bottom layer. Spread to an even thickness across the entire layer.
9. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer, then frost with Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting.
10. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.

Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting

Take one tub of Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese frosting and add 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice and two teaspoons of fresh grated lemon peel. Next, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend well on low with electric mixer.

This cake turned out so moist and lemony. It was an incredible explosion of flavor! Mr. Panche never eats two helpings of dessert but last night he did declaring that "I could eat this cake every day of my life!" I thought that was little extreme but evidently he really enjoyed it. I have been staying away from sugar and high carb foods for awhile now but last night I sampled a small piece of my handiwork and I had to agree that it really was delicious. This will now be one of my "tried and true" recipes and I will do the honor of adding it to the family cookbook.

Here, I saved a slice for you. Enjoy!

While the cake was baking I decided to put together a quick and easy centerpiece. I love working with fresh flowers but sometimes they are hard to arrange without a lot of special tools or the right containers. I had purchased three clear glass square jars from the Dollar Tree. Everything there is only $1 each. They are actually intended for candles but I decided to use them as vases. However the mouth of the vase was wide and the vase was shallow so I had to figure out a way to keep my flowers from falling out of the vase.

I have my photos out of order but here is what I did.

I embellished one vase for use as the centerpiece. I used grosgrain ribbon in yellow and brown. I simply hot glued the ribbon in two places to hold it in place.

Next, I made my own "floral frog" but taking clear, waterproof tape and forming a crisscross pattern across the top of the vase. If you look closely you can see the pattern and the tape. Once you have completed the taping, simply tuck a single stem in each square opening in the tape. Start at the center and work your way to the edge. You can vary the height of the stems if you want but I kept mine the same. This gave me a more casual relaxed look.

Here's a better shot of the three vases and the one I embellished with ribbon.

This little project cost $10. Three vases - $3, 2 spools of ribbon - $2, tape - $1.99, yellow daisies - $3 at my local market.

Since I wan in a lemony mood yesterday, these lemon-yellow daisies caught my eye. This little centerpiece made an eyecatching display on my kitchen island. When Mr. Panache and the boys came home, they were greeted by this cheery scene. The house was filled with the scent of fresh lemon cake baking in the oven and the happy color of sunshine. They wanted to know what was the special occasion. "No, special occasion, just wanted to say I love you guys", I said.

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Hospitality truly begins at home. Don't wait for a special occasion to treat your loved ones special. Make an extra effort today to bless those who live in your home. Tomorrow I'll share the tablescape from our dinner last night. Betcha can't guess what color I used????

Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Mexican Flava

Welcome to The Cook's Corner! Finding something that everyone in my family likes to eat is a pretty hard task especially when my 9-year old seems to prefer Happy Meals over home-cooked meals. Luckily, we do have a few recipes that please the whole crowd. Today I will share another SIMPLE SUPPER idea that you can prepare in less than 45 min. and is sure to be a tasty Tex-Mex dish the whole family will love. I love recipes that have 10 or less ingredients and this one has 7. Let's take a look.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast

2 tablespoons of butter

1 8-ounce container of salsa or picante sauce

(I prefer Garden Fresh Gourmet - Jack's Special Salsa - Medium)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 package of 8 tortillas (I use whole wheat but you can use flour tortillas)

6-ounces sour cream

First, dice chicken then saute' the bite-sized chicken pieces in butter until done.

Add salsa or picante sauce to fully cooked chicken and mix thoroughly, set aside.

Oops! I didn't rotate my picture. Sorry. Just tilt your head a bit. LOL! :-)
Next, In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup and milk.
Whisk as it heats, till creamy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Then take your chicken mixture and spoon 1/8 of the mixture in tortilla, roll and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until all 8 tortillas are filled and placed in dish.

Pour sour cream sauce over the filled tortillas and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

You can also substitute Monterrey Colby Jack cheese for the cheddar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The last 5-10 minutes broil the top till brown and crispy around the edges.

Serve with Mexican Rice and crispy White Tortilla Chips and salsa. Enjoy!

Tomorrow is Tablescape Thursday. I will be sharing a special "Thank You" luncheon table I've set for a special group of volunteers. Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner on a Snowy Day

Welcome to The Cook's Corner and another Simple Supper recipe. I am also participating in Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan at (A Southern Dreamer). Today we woke up to a snowy, cold day here in my corner of NC. The kids are ecstatic because once again school has been closed! I had just replaced my evergreen wreath with a Red Rose and Hydrangea wreath for Valentine's Day and the snow added it's own white sparkly decoration. Pretty but cold! Of course my little one didn't waste any time getting suited up for some fun.

Look at those rosy cheeks! Hot Chocolate by the fireplace and a warm shower when he comes in will be the ticket for warding off those winter chills.

I have a Holly Berry bush beside my front entry. I am not sure the exact type, it does not have the pointy, prickly leaves like the holly you see at Christmastime. I thought it was so pretty dusted with snow. I use clippings of this bush in flower arrangements during the winter. It really makes a pretty accent to roses, hot-house tulips and mums.

I wanted to share my Grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings recipe with you. Unfortunately, I've got my photos backwards :-(

Here's the ingredients:
3 - 3 1/2 pounds of Bone-in Chicken Breasts
2 Quarts water (enough to cover your chicken)
2 to 3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
1 whole onion, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste (for broth)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
Bonus Item:
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions:
Place chicken, water, celery and onion in large Dutch Oven or stock pot.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately one hour. Salt and pepper to taste. Once chicken is tender and "falling off the bone", remove from heat. Remove chicken and let cool. De-bone and set aside. Remove celery and onion. If you like you can puree the vegetables and return them to the stock.
Set meat aside and remove 3/4 cup of the chicken stock. Leave remaining broth in the pan.
For the Dumplings:
Combine flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the reserved 3/4 cup chicken broth; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. If the batter is a little dry, add 1-2 tablespoon of water until "doughy". Next, return broth to heat and bring to a boil. Gently drop teaspoonfuls of your dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Stir gently after each addition. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Then stir in chicken pieces and if desired 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup. The soup adds more delicious creaminess to the broth. Be careful not to get your heat to high. The dumplings will stick to the bottom of your pan. Stir often but gently.
Saturday night I made a big pot of Chicken and Dumplings and biscuits. Can you say comfort food? My Good Ole' Southern-boy husband was in "Hog-Heaven".

Here's a shot of my house this morning. There's only about 2 inches of snow out there but underneath it is a layer of ice. Last night it started raining, then it turned to ice, then the snow came in the wee-hours of the morning. Burr!

Even poor Leo looks cold.

The snow has completely covered the planter beds. My little daffodils and tulips that have already pushed through the earth have been hidden beneath a blanket of white.

Our Magnolia tree stands at the end of our drive. There is something enchanting about those glossy green and brown leaves covered with snow.

Tomorrow is TABLESCAPE THURSDAY. Be sure to stop back by to take a peek at my table. Can you say "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? or "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"? Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Choctails & Jewelry

Welcome to The Cook's Corner! I wanted to share some delicious, quick and easy dessert recipes today. I am preparing for a "Choctails & Jewelry" party on Friday night and thought I would get some of my "do ahead" items off my list today. I also want to do a run through with my decorations. My very good friend Jerrie opened her own jewelry business last fall with Premier Designs Jewelry. You may not be familiar with it but it is high quality fashion jewelry. Many of the pieces remind me of Brighton Jewelry and the prices are similar. So I scheduled Jerrie to come on Friday night and present her lovely jewelry to a group of my friends while us girls celebrate Valentine's Day just a little early. The party is at 7pm and since most of the girls will have had dinner by then, my theme is "Choctails". Everything on my menu will be CHOCOLATE! I have 4 recipes to share. The first one comes from my Easy to Bake, Easy to Make cards.

Valentine Heart Cake

1 package white chocolate cake mix or cherry chip

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 large egg whites

1 jar marshmallow creme

1-2 tablespoons heart-shaped cake decors

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one 9-inch square cake pan and one 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or waxed paper. I use parchment paper.
• Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers of cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
• Mix sugar, water, and egg whites in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, beating continuously with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add marshmallow creme; beat mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes longer.
• Remove cakes from pans and remove paper liners. Place square cake on serving platter. Cut round cake in half.
• Place round cake halves against 2 adjacent sides of square cake to form heart shape. Spread top and sides with marshmallow creme frosting and decorate with heart-shaped decors as desired.

My next recipe was found in Women's World magazine a couple of weeks ago.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownie Bars

1 tube refrigerated triple chocolate chunk brownie batter

2 packages cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 can, 21 oz., cherry pie filling

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line 9" square baking pan with foil, leaving 2" overhang; coat with cooking spray.
• Spread tube of brownie batter in pan. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until fluffy.
• Spread over brownie. Bake 20 minutes or until cream cheese topping is set.
• Cool on rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1-2 hours. Use foil to help lift from pan. Just before serving cut into bars and then top with cherry pie filling. I use about a tablespoon of cherry pie filling per bar. Garnish with white and dark chocolate curls.

The next recipe I plan to use came out of Southern Living magazine a couple of years ago during the Christmas holiday season. This is easy-peazy and tastes oh so good!

Chocolate Passion Bowl

3 cups cold milk

2 packages Jell-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tub French Vanilla Whipped Topping, thawed and divided. Such as Cool Whip brand.

1 baked 9-inch square brownie layer, cooled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups fresh raspberries

• Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.
• Place half of brownie cubes in 2-quart serving bowl or trifle bowl, top with half of the pudding mixture, half of the raspberries and half of the remaining whipped topping. Repeat all layer.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

I scanned the picture from the magazine. Doesn't this look like just the perfect dessert for Valentine's Day? Red, White and Chocolate!

Back in 2005, I was in a Williams-Sonoma and found these little heart-shaped silicon molds. They are perfect for making individual cupcakes, muffins or Valentine treats. I think I will make little heart-shaped Chocolate Lava cakes using this mold. For the beverage I plan to make an Iced Mocha Punch. The recipe is super easy and you can make it ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge until the day of your party.

Iced Mocha Punch

3 cups strong coffee

1 1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1 gallon 2% milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 gallon French Vanilla ice cream

Blend coffee, chocolate syrup, milk, sugar and vanilla extract together. Chill until ready to serve. Then, scoop softened ice cream into punch bowl and pour mocha mixture over it. Carefully fold mixture together. This makes about 50 punch cup servings. I am really excited about using my Grandmother's milk glass punch bowl and cups.

While I was at W-S, I also found these adorable pancake molds. The heart with the arrow through it makes a great cookie cutter too! The cookies are rather large using this, about the size of two regular sized Chocolate Chip cookies.

I decided I would do a run through of my decorations for Friday night. I had these two red, pink and white striped runners and decided to crisscross them along my island. I found these at TJMaxx a few years ago. About the only time I use them is at Valentine's Day. When decorating for Valentine's you really don't have to worry about matching your room's decor. It's more about setting a festive and fun atmosphere that reflects that special occasion.

I purchased a bunch of Pink Gerbera Daisies and Red Tulips from the market this morning. Remember my Grandmother's milk glass from a few blogs back? Well, I decided to use the collection of bud vases and place single stems in each one then cluster them in the center.

Since there is only going to be 10 of us on Friday night, I really wanted to use real plates and napkins. I pulled out 10 cherry red satin napkins and placed Pink Gerbera Daisy napkin rings on each one. I used 5 of the napkins to form a cluster on either end of the island. I found the napkin rings at Bed, Bath and Beyond for 99 cents each a few years ago.

The heart-shaped topiary is from Marshalls. This was another find from a few years ago. The topiary is made with fuchsia and red rose buds. It really adds a touch of whimsy and Valentine's Day flair to the centerpiece.

So pretty and girlie!

Now all I have to do is prepare my desserts and fill my silver serving platters. I should have the paramedics standing by just in case we truly have a "death by chocolate"!

I will take plenty of pictures and share them with you on Saturday. Until then,

Happy Entertaining!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Outlandish Oatmeal Supremes

Hello! Welcome to The Cook's Corner! I've been baking away today and thought I would share my FAVORITE cookie recipe with you. This recipe has been in my family for years. I can't even remember who actually handed it down first but I am SO glad it was passed on to me. We call it OUTLANDISH OATMEAL SUPREMES and COOKIE CREME. These cookies are way, way better than anything "Little Debbie" could bake. LOL! They are actually cookie sandwiches. Let's take a look at the ingredients and recipe.

Outlandish Oatmeal Supremes

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour, plain

2 eggs

3/4 cup coconut

3 cups quick-cooking oats

Cookie Creme

5 tablespoons flour, plain

1 cup milk

1 cup Crisco shortening

1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon salt

Now, I've learned a few tips from my MIL, Ann, that have made baking cookies a little quicker and more accurate. First of all ALWAYS use Parchment Paper to line your cooking sheets and for accurate cookie sizes use a melon ball scoop. The parchment paper provides for even browning and easy clean-up. The scoop makes spooning out the batter quick and efficient plus your cookies are all the same size.

Step #1. Mix first 8 ingredients together.

I like to mix my eggs and melted butter together separately, then add it to my dry mix.

Mix ingredients well. The cookie batter will be very coarse and a little dry.

Step #2. Drop scoops of cookie mix using the melon scooper onto cookie sheet. I like to keep 12 cookies per sheet. This gives the cookies room to expand.

You will have enough cookie mix to make 48 cookies. However, since these are sandwich style cookies, it takes two cookies each. So you will have 24 sandwiches when done.

Step #3. Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 8 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Step #4. While cookies are baking, mix 5 tablespoons of flour with 1 cup of milk. Cook over medium heat until a thick paste is formed. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator.

Step #5. While the paste is chilling, mix 1 cup Crisco shortening with 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well in a bowl with an electric mixer.

Step #6. Remove paste from refrigerator, add to Crisco mixture one tablespoon at a time. Mixing after each addition until smooth.

Step #7. Once cookie creme is prepared, spoon one teaspoon or so on the bottom of one cookie. See demonstration below.

Next, top with a second cookie making the cookie sandwich.

See below.

Continue assembling cookie sandwiches until you are finished. You will have 24 Outlandish Oatmeal Supreme Cookie sandwiches. Serve with Ice Cold Milk! Yummy!

I do hope you enjoy this recipe. It is my FAVORITE cookie recipe and I'm sure you will love it!

These cookies are the "hit" every time I attend a Cookie Exchange or party where I take them.

Oh, as a note of interest. In my ingredients photo you might have noticed Vanilla Extract. The original recipe doesn't call for it but I like to add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the cookie creme. It really gives the creme a wonderfully delicious flavor. See you tomorrow. Until then,

Happy Cooking

~Alisa