World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is said to have come from a famous cookie maker

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine the white and brown sugars.

Add butter and cream together with the sugar.

Add vanilla and eggs, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together.

Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture.

Mix well; the dough will be stiff.

Add the chocolate chips. Add nuts, if desired.

Line cookie sheets with baking parchment or wax paper.

Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto the cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Yield: 2-3 dozen



Variations on World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Start with the basic World's Best Chocolate Chip recipe above, and
making substitutions or additions as called for. All variations
should be baked in a preheated 350F oven for 10-12 minutes, unless
otherwise stated.

Creme de Menthe Chocolate Chip Cookies
Substitute 2 tablespoons Creme de Menthe liqueur for 1 tablespoon
vanilla, and substitute 3 cups mint chocolate chips for the 3 cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Butterscotch Beauties
Substitute 3 cups butterscotch chips for 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Chunky Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Substitute 3 cups peanut butter chips and 1 cup chopped peanuts for 3
cups semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Kiss Your Cookies
Prepare dough as directed for basic recipe. Form a ball of chocolate
chip dough around a Hershey's Chocolate Kiss. Roll dough in your hand
to form a ball and bake on cookie sheet for 9-11 minutes at 350.

Amaretto Almond
Substitute 1/2 tablespoon almond extract and 2 tablespoons Amaretto
for the 1 tablespoon vanilla. Add 1 cup sliced almonds plus chocolate
chips to cookie dough. (If you do not want to use liqueur, substitute
1 tablespoon almond extract for the 1 tablespoon vanilla.)

Kahlua Chocolate Chip
Substitute 3 cups milk chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate
chips and substitute 3 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur for 1 tablespoon
vanilla.

Caramel Kings with Nuts
Reduce flour to 2-1/2 cups. Substitute 20 Kraft caramel candy pieces
for the 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Chop each caramel into 8
small pieces. Mix chopped caramels with 1 cup chopped nuts and stir
into prepared cookie dough.

Triple Chocolate Delight
Substitute 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips for the 3 cups of semi-sweet
chocolate chips.

Raisinette Dreams
Substitute 2 cups Raisinettes for 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Substitute 1-1/2 cups Reese's Peanut Butter Chips and 1-1/2 cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips for 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Add
1 cup chopped peanuts, if desired.

Heath Bar Cookies
Substitute 6 Heath Bars (original or soft and chewy style) for 3 cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Heath Bars come 2 small bars per pack.
Use 3 packs, or 6 small bars.) Cut each bar into 12 pieces before
adding to prepared cookie dough.

Chewy Gooeys
Substitute 10 Kraft caramels and 2 cups large semi-sweet chocolate
chips for the 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cut each caramel
into 4 thin slices before adding to prepared cookie dough.


SOURCE:
Cookies! The Collector's Series/Volume 26
The American Cooking Guild

Gina's Mojo Roast Pork

 This is the best roast pork ever!  It is a family recipe, cuban in origin, and usually includes black beans and garlicy white rice on the side with some of the juice of the pork poured over the beans.  

Ingredients:

Mojo Criollo (Found in your local Hispanic aisle I use Goya brand)

  or make your own Mojo Criollo

6 medium Onions

10-12 garlic cloves

1 cup sour orange juice (you may substitute 1 cup orange juice and 1/8 cup lemon juice)

5 lb Pork butt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

           

Place pork in Dutch Oven fat side up.  Score the fat and stud with ½ of the garlic. (I like to stab holes in the pork and stuff with garlic to further distribute the garlic flavor within the pork).

           

Cut onions into quarters and place in pot with the remaining garlic

Pour the Mojo Criollo into the Dutch Oven and add 1 cup of sour orange juice.

Cook for about 6 hours or until fork tender.

Another method I use:

Ingredients the same, cooking method different.

I cook my pork roast in the crock pot all day long . . . check it periodically until done to your preference.

Coat the bottom of the crock pot with some olive oil and saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until onions are translucent. 

Add the roast with the Mojo Criollo and sour orange juice.

 

The onions liquify and the roast cooks in the onion and garlic juice, along with the marinade, giving it lots of flavor.  It also makes an awesome gravy.

NOTE:  Cooking time depends on your crock pot.  Set on high - cook around 3-4 hours.  Set on low - 8 hours or until done.

Macaroni and Cheese

 

Photo source: Paula Deen

Being married to country boys taught me how to appreciate comfort food. 

I love the Food Network and Ina, the Barefoot Contessa . . . one of my favorite FN shows. She made the most delicious looking macaroni and cheese that has a bit of a twist to it. So I thought I would share it.

I'm also including a macaroni and cheese recipe from Paula Deen . . . my other favorite.  I can't really say one is a favorite over the other. They share the style of comfort food . . . much like I do . . . I've also listed my basic technique for Macaroni and Cheese . . . sorry, you know I'm the type of cook who does not measure anything on my basic recipes.

Gina's Macaroni and Cheese

I make my macaroni and cheese from scratch, but I don't measure anything. It is a combination of what these other ladies do . . . I guess you could use their measurements as a guide.

I make a roux of flour and butter as a base . . . add half and half (I use fat free) or milk and whisk over heat until I get the desired consistency. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste . . . add cheddar cheese (I use a medium sized package of shredded cheese) . . . stir until smooth.

Pour over cooked macaroni.

NOTE:

When my tomato plants yield lots of tomatoes and
I have an abundance of tomatoes, I also cut up
tomatoes into the mixture . . . yummy!!

Mac and Cheese
Barefoot Contessa . . . The Food Network

INGREDIENTS:

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.




Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Paula Deen

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Banana Pudding

 

Photo source: eaglebrand.com/

Good thing bananas are cheap and healthy because I could live off of them. Although I eat lots of bananas, you can never eat them fast enough before you have to use them in some kind of cooking or they end up in my compost pile.

Banana pudding is one of my favorite desserts and one of those comfort foods that is good for every day or during the holidays. It is all in the way you present it.

My recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk found years ago in a magazine, newspaper or a cookbook . . . I've used this recipe for as long as I can remember, so I don't know for sure.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (4 serving size) package instant banana flavored pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups (1 pint) whipping cream, whipped
36 vanilla wafers
2-3 medium bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice

Directions:

Line serving bowl with vanilla wafers.

In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and water until combined. Add pudding mix and beat well. Chill 5 minutes. 

Fold in whipped cream.

Using a glass serving bowl (2 1/2 quart), layer ingredients, by spooning 1 cup pudding mixture into the bowl, add some of the wafers, bananas and pudding. Repeat layering twice, ending with pudding.

Chill thoroughly. 

NOTE:  Depending on your preference, either line the serving bowl with vanilla wafers, or use more within the pudding.  I like to line the serving bowl.