Top 10 of 2011

I can't believe 2011 is coming to an end, CRAZY! I'm so excited to begin a new year and share lots of new creations in the kitchen with you guys. Here's a quick look back on this past year and my most popular recipes. I was shocked with a few of the items that made the top 10 list :)


10. Cheoreg

This was probably my personal favorite recipe I've shared so far. It was my first attempt at an Armenian dish and it was a success, the husband even said it taste just like his Grandma's. 

9. Chocolate Pecan Pie

I made this yummy and super easy pie for Thanksgiving, it will probably become a Moughamian tradition for years to come. 

8. Peanut Butter Dog Treats

These dog treats were a winner with Greta, she LOVED them! They are really quick to make and very pocket-book friendly. Do your puppy child a favor and make these.

7. Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite chocolate chip cookies made the list and I'm thrilled. Since I made this recipe the first time, I've never made another version since and I'm not sure I will try another recipe.  Call me crazy, but I found a good thing and I'm stickin' with it!

6. Pizza

I love pizza but the delivery version has nothing on this simple homemade treat. Next time you want pizza, make it yourself - it tastes better, is more fun, and MUCH MUCH cheaper than ordering one.

5. Blackberry Cobbler

This comforting dessert is a family favorite and makes a great pot-luck option. 

4. Corn Pudding

This is pretty much my favorite side dish, it accompanies just about any "southern" dinner and is also great left over the next day. 

3. Snickers Cheesecake

 

I made this for Steve's Birthday two years ago per his request. It's delicious and fairly easy as long as you have a spring-form pan.  Please excuse this awful picture, it was taken with my i-phone. 

2.  Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

These little pots of goodness will be made often in my kitchen from here on out. Just add a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream on top of one of these deep dish cookie pies and indulge in a simple dessert that will rock your socks off. 

1. Creamy Chicken Casserole

I was shocked that this chicken casserole was the most popular recipe. Don't get me wrong, I love this dish and it's wonderful but I really thought a dessert would have been the most popular. What do I know? Apparently not much :) Like most of the recipes I share on this blog, creamy chicken casserole is EASY! It's also another awesome dish to take if you're having a pot-luck, taking a friend dinner, or want something that re-heats well. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2011, I sure did! Happy cooking and I can't wait to share another yummy year!!

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

Please excuse my absence, I've been in such a cooking funk the last two weeks.  I don't know what happened this year but Christmas snuck up on me and somehow it was the week of and I hadn't finished my shopping and I hadn't made any baked goods or candy and I hadn't been cooking.  When I finally did hunker down and decided to make a soup, it was a TOTAL fail and my hopes were destroyed and my funk returned. 

But I somehow found a little motivation to makes these little pots of goodness one night when I had my mom and stepdad over for dinner. I love a good chocolate chip cookie, don't you? And what's better than a chocolate chip cookie? One that's in a little ramekin and about 5 times thicker than a cookie, add a scoop of ice-cream on top and dig in! Next time you want chocolate chip cookies make these deep dish cookie pies....YUM :)

You can use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and if you don't have one, try my favorite. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I sure did.  Did you get anything fun and exciting? I'd love to know, especially if it's food/cooking related but even if it's not :)  I got an ice-cream maker attachment for my mixer and I don't care if we are snowed in this winter, I'll be making ice-cream and sharing those experiences with you!

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies
Adapted from: Blue Eyed Bakers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.

Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips to taste. 

Fill ramekins 3/4″ deep with raw, room temperature cookie dough. 

Set ramekins on baking sheet and  bake on the middle rack of the oven for 13-16 minutes, or until the top is just slightly golden brown. 

These are best if the cookie is just under-done.

Top with vanilla ice cream and serve.

Blackberry Cobbler

Can you believe there are people living among us that have never had cobbler? More baffling, people who have never heard of cobbler?  Call me ignorant but I didn't know that cobbler was a "southern" thing until a few years ago.  My old boss who is from Pennsylvania had never had cobbler and didn't know what it was.  I was completely shocked and appalled!

How can it be that someone had went their whole life without cobbler? I grew up on peach, cherry, apple, and blackberry cobbler.  It was a staple in my diet quite frankly and the most popular dessert at all family functions.  In fact, this particular cobbler that I truly love, I boycotted for about 2 years.  My mom made this cobbler for a family gathering and for at least a year she was asked to bring it to EVERY family function, gathering, birthday party, etc.  I was dreaming in blackberries and if you really could turn into what you eat I would have been a blackberry.  I actually got sick of this dessert for awhile and refused to eat it for about 2 years but now I'm back on the bandwagon.

Like my corn pudding, this was another dish I made when I first started cooking.  It's a real confidence booster in the kitchen and people are so impressed with the lattice crust...Suckers, they don't know how stinkin' easy this is to make. Next time you sign up to bring dessert, try out this cobbler.

Blackberry Cobbler
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 bags frozen blackberries, thawed*
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

*I sometimes forget to thaw the blackberries and it works fine if they are still frozen.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the blackberries, sugar, and flour.

Spray a round baking dish with non-stick spray and place 1 pie crust in bottom then add blackberry mixture.

Cut 1 pie crust into 1-inch strips and lattice over blackberries.*

Brush top of cobbler with egg wash.

Bake for 1 hour or until crust is golden.

Allow cobbler to cool at least 1 hour before serving.

*Click Here for step-by-step photos on how to make a lattice crust.

Corn Pudding

This was one of the first dishes I made before I considered myself "a cook" and took to a gathering. Before I got married and moved into a home of my own, I didn't do much cooking and had no real interest in learning to cook.  I got married and realized I had to feed myself and my husband so I started cooking a little and realized I really enjoyed it and I wasn't terrible at it either.  The first time I made this I was still in college and going to my boyfriend's family Thanksgiving. It just so happens I married that boyfriend; I guess he liked my corn pudding :)

 

This recipe never fails and everyone always loves it.  In fact, I rarely have leftovers to take home if I've taken this dish to a pot-luck style dinner. Like many of my other recipes, it's super easy and doesn't require any special cooking technique.  I obtained this recipe from my mother but I'm not sure where the original recipe originated from.

Next time you're asked to bring a side dish, make this corn pudding.  I guarantee at least two people will ask for the recipe. And is there anything better than having someone ask for your recipe?  In my book, that's the ultimate compliment!

Corn Pudding
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can cream corn
1 can corn, drained
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.

Pour into a 9x9 prepared baking dish (or larger baking dish).

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Serve warm.

Cranberry Sauce

I'd never had homemade cranberry sauce until this Thanksgiving.  Call me crazy, but I really enjoy the canned stuff.  In fact, it's one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I really love spreading some canned cranberry sauce over cold turkey... YUM!

Once I saw this post my heart was set on making my own cranberry sauce and forgoing the canned stuff.  I'm so glad I made this choice.  I don't know why but I had this misconception that making cranberry sauce would be difficult...WRONG! It was super easy and made my kitchen smell AMAZING!!! Cranberries, orange, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. I need a candle that smelled like this sauce because it was intoxicating and I really enjoyed this dish.

I still have some leftovers in my fridge, but I don't expect them to be there much longer because I have full intent on eating it all up myself. 

Cranberry Sauce
source: The Pastry Affair
Printable Recipe

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups (12 oz) fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
zest of 1 orange

Directions:

In a large saucepan, stir cranberries, orange juice, and sugar together.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

Turn heat down and let simmer until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, 10-12 minutes.

Sauce will continue to thicken while cooling. 

Stir in cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and orange zest.

Serve warm.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Life is so funny, or maybe irritating is a better word. Do you feel this way? I just wrote about how I never leave dirty dishes in my sink in this post, but I lied...I had to leave dirty dishes in my sink last week. I made these marshmallows for my Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole and since it was 10pm I let the dishes soak with the intention of cleaning them in the morning. Well, I got up and no more had I let Greta out and was starting on those dishes when I heard my cell phone ring. I got called into work early and needed to be there in 20 minutes, so the dishes had to wait.

On my drive to work, my skin was crawling and all I could think about were those dang dishes and how much I was going to hate walking in the door from work and having them waiting there.  Much to my surprise, when I came home from work the dishes were done! SAY WHAT!!!???? At first I thought Steve had done them, since it was a rainy day he didn't go into work until later in the morning. Nope, wrong! It was my Mommy! She had to pick up my Thanksgiving turkey for me and when she dropped it off she let Greta out AND washed my sink full of dirty dishes! Have I told you how much I love my mom? She's truly the best.  Made my long crappy day at work fade away...

Instead of doing dishes I made this pie! Steve doesn't like pumpkin so I made chocolate pecan pie and blackberry cobbler for Thanksgiving dessert. I loved this pie and will definitely be making it again, probably for Christmas. 

 

Chocolate Pecan Pie
Source: The Kitchen Sink
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate.  Make sure you stir chocolate occasionally, until smooth.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together (do not whisk) eggs, agave nectar (or honey), sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Stirring constantly, gradually add melted chocolate then pour filling into prepared crust.

Place pie plate on a baking sheet and cover the top of the pie with pecans.

Bake just until set (filling should jiggle slightly when pie plate is tapped), 50-60 minutes.  Let pie cool completely on wire rack (4 hours or overnight) before serving.

 Make sure to keep a few pecans aside so you can munch on them while the pie's baking :)

What was your favorite Thanksgiving dessert this year?

Thanksgiving

My first Thanksgiving cooking an entire meal went well. There is always room for improvement of course, but I was proud of myself.  My turkey turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself and I didn't have any MAJOR failures or tantrums. I did have a small freak-out when Steve and I almost dropped the turkey on the floor. YIKES, that would have ruined my day.  Luckily, everything turned out okay.

We had such a nice time eating with Steve's brother, Dave and his wife, Britney, and their two beautiful children: Kennedy and Wyatt.  Kennedy melted my heart and made me laugh while we were eating dessert, by saying, "This is the best time I've ever seen." What a cutie! Spending the day with family was well worth the 4 days of cooking prep and getting up at 7:00 AM yesterday to make sure everything was read.

Britney, Dave, Kennedy, & Wyatt

I'll be sharing my thanksgiving recipes throughout this coming week, but here's a sneak peek at our meal:

photo taken by my sister-in-law

Thanksgiving Menu:

Turkey
Dressing
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatos
Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn Pudding
Crescent Rolls
Blackberry Cobbler
Chocolate Pecan Pie


I didn't make everything, I had some help from the store with the gravy, crescent rolls, and pie crusts for the desserts.  I didn't want to overwhelm myself since it was my first time cooking Thanksgiving so I thought it was okay to get some help :)

Here are some photos of our day:

Kennedy dancing

Wyatt ate and slept all day, what a good baby

Greta is wearing out, she loved chasing Kennedy

 We took a much needed walk, trying to work off those turkey pounds....

Kennedy fell asleep, poor thing was all tuckered out

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend time with your loved ones!